Medical simulation center as a model for testing mHealth concepts in prehospital emergency medicine

Abstract

Newly developed mHealth tools need to be tested in standardized conditions without possible patient harm before implementation. One possible approach to secure these two conditions is to analyze the mHealth tool in a medical simulation center. Medical simulation centers create realistic routine or emergency scenarios with the aid of computer-operated mannequins. Medical simulation is widely established, especially in emergency medicine, because it combines theoretical knowledge and practical skills. To evaluate a mHealth concept in the field of prehospital emergency medicine in a medical simulation center, distinctive scenarios should be used. The mHealth concept in this study was a mobile, high definition, real-Time video connection between the emergency site and a remote medical expert. Since all participants in this study confirmed that the chosen scenarios were realistic and relevant, a medical simulation center appears to be a suitable model for testing mHealth concepts in prehospital emergency medicine.