Summary

• Users practice diagnosing illnesses that could pose a threat to public safety and indicate the presence of bioterrorism agents by interacting with a simulated patient, David Martinez
• Intended for healthcare providers who screen patients for initial diagnoses, including doctors, nurses, and medical first responders
• David’s specific complaints and condition change with each play, which encourages repeated practice
• Users receive both ongoing feedback on their progress and a post-conversation score on their mastery of the learning objectives
• Funded in part by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command’s Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center

Scenario

• User assumes the role of an Urgent Care/Emergency Room healthcare practitioner
• David behaves differently in each conversation, based on a combination of his illness, personality, and mood
• During the conversation, users can:
  • Discuss current symptoms, medical history, social history, and travel history
  • Perform a visual exam to assess David’s physical symptoms
  • Perform other routine exam tasks
  • Gather pertinent information, offer a diagnosis, and determine an appropriate patient management plan for David based on one of the following illnesses:
    • Chicken pox
    • Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF)
    • Smallpox
    • Viral hemorrhagic fever

Learning Objectives

After achieving mastery through repeated conversations, the user will be able to:

• Conduct a complete and thorough patient history
• Complete a medical exam while taking the appropriate safety precautions
• Make a differential diagnosis between chicken pox, RMSF, smallpox, and viral hemorrhagic fever
• Determine an appropriate patient management plan
• Maintain an appropriate bedside manner

Seat Time

• Approximately two hours of e-learning material that includes:
  • Symptoms, diagnoses, and treatments of chicken pox, RMSF, smallpox, and viral hemorrhagic fever
  • Guidelines for effective patient communication
• Simulated conversations last 30 - 45 minutes
• The average user will require 10 - 12 hours to achieve mastery of the learning objectives, but can learn the basics in as little as a few hours.

NOTE: Figure does not account for longer-term "refresher" sessions, which will vary by user