A simulated medical emergency, using actors and professional volunteers, is a technique that is commonly used to provide realistic training to medical personnel. However, this is obviously a time-consuming, expensive, and difficult approach. This paper explores the possibility of using specialized gaming technology to achieve the same outcome.

The training module created for this experiment was a simple single-scenario game. Twelve nurses volunteered to undertake training using the training module. The volunteers were then surveyed to ascertain their reactions to the gaming approach. The small sample size and limited test environment meant that no statistical measures were made. Consequently, this must be viewed as a proof-of-concept experiment rather than a definitive evaluation of training through games.

The research found that the subjects were overwhelmingly positive about their experience with the training module. Most subjects learned how to use the gaming interface without difficulty, and interaction with the user interface did not distract users from the learning scenario.

Clearly, further experiments with statistically valid sample sizes and richer scenarios need to be conducted. Nevertheless, the paper’s preliminary results suggest that the gaming approach has promise. This research will be of interest to those responsible for medical training, as well as the research community focusing on the use of games as an alternative to traditional training methods.