A ‘Triage VR’ application is being developed at the Silesian Medical University. With its help, students will be able to solve any tasks in the field of wounded segregation at the site of mass disasters.

The system of wounded segregation, or triage, is used in the practice of emergency medical teams all over the world, most often in mass events and disasters. The procedure aims to prioritise to save as many casualties as possible and to optimise the use of personnel, equipment and logistical support at the scene.

Based on relevant criteria, the injured are classified in terms of the need for medical assistance into different urgency groups. They are colour-coded: red (highest-priority casualties requiring urgent medical intervention), yellow (requiring medical attention but not urgent), green (patients whose injuries are not life-threatening), black (those who are dead or probably unsalvageable in a given situation).

The ‘Triage VR’ app is a simulator of the patient segregation process during mass disasters. It uses virtual reality technology and is equipped with a scenario editor and a casualty database. The participant of the simulation takes on the role of a paramedic, whose task is to correctly and as quickly as possible complete the game in the designed scenario. The application enables multiplayer gameplay in co-operative mode.

The designers of the activities have the possibility of practically setting and defining the injuries of individual persons. In the application, it is possible to select the location of the accident (campsite, bus stop, city centre, motorway and many others), choose the time of day, as well as external factors such as rain, snow, fog, low temperature.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński