Air Medical and Transport Simulation Training of Critically Ill Cases With Radioactive Contamination in Nuclear Power Stations by Japanese Helicopter Emergency Medical Services.
Air Medical Journal · 2025-09-25 · Implementation & quality improvement
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) personnel require specialized training and continuous skill development tailored to their unique operational demands. These demands may include managing critically ill patients with radioactive contamination within radiologically controlled areas to ensure the delivery of high-quality care and safety. A unified consensus was archived after several discussions among relevant agencies, incorporating the safety of flight personnel of the helicopter-operating company and HEMS medical staff. Standardized procedures were developed. To our knowledge, no simulation-based training program for HEMS crew currently exists that specifically addresses the management of critically ill patients with radioactive contamination in such environments. This report aims to assess the validity of the training scenario based on newly established procedures throughout participant's self-reported questionnaires. METHODS: An air medical and transport simulation training was conducted for life-threatening illnesses involving radioactive contamination at nuclear power stations. Participants completed self-reported evaluations using a 5-point Likert scale to assess the training. RESULTS: The specialized simulation scenario involved a patient with subarachnoid hemorrhage and suspected localized external contamination. The median scores for scenario-related scores were 1, indicating the highest levels of agreement, whereas the median scores for overall training and post-training feedback were 2, also demonstrating relatively high levels of agreement. CONCLUSION: In our experience, simulation training scenarios involving critically ill patients with radioactive contamination in nuclear facilities enhance the competencies of both flight personnel and HEMS medical staff. These scenarios also support smoother implementation of HEMS responses to incidents within nuclear facilities and provide a basis for ongoing refinement and improvement of operational procedures.
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Tags
Critical care & advanced paramedics · Helicopter & air ambulance · Military & tactical · Prehospital physicians · Teamwork & human factors
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