MACSIM as a tool for research

MACSIM as a tool for research

The differences between different major incidents and disasters makes it difficult to draw conclusions about organization and methodology by comparing the outcome in different incidents. This requires a research tool where all parameters, except the ones to be compared, can be standardized.

With MACSIM, the result of every simulated response can be given in figures with regard to mortality and complications, consumption of time and all kinds or resources, and also efficiency in utilizing resources, which makes it very useful as such a tool. This makes it also to a useful tool to test methodology in training

This figure illustrates the use of MACSIM to compare two different triage methods: Triage Sort, based on physiological findings inserted in an algorithm automatically giving the priority, and Anatomical Triage, based on identified injuries and knowledge about their potential risks. Three categories of staff were tested on a given scenario, from the left to the right nurse students after a basic course in Disaster Medicine, prehospital specialist nurses after a post-graduate course and, to the right, doctors with experience in hospital trauma- management.

The results illustrate that anatomical triage, requiring more clinical experience, gives clearly better results for the most qualified group, while the difference between the methods are less prominent for the less clinically experienced group. Such studies can give important information with regard to by who, and where in the chain of management, different methods can be recommended.