Hazardous and Toxic Material Decontamination Facility Training in Virtual Reality

Abstract

Patient decontamination is the act of removing or neutralising hazardous substances from an affected individual. To ensure adequate emergency preparedness, regulations require hospitals to train personnel in decontamination procedures regularly. To supplement in-person training, a virtual reality (VR) system is being developed for the training of hospital staff members in the mass decontamination of hazardous and toxic materials (HAZMAT) and/or radioactively contaminated casualties. As a demonstration of the concept, a primary VR prototype is designed to help users familiarize themselves with a chemical scanner tool, intended for examining victims for residual chemical hazards. This initial prototype showcases the benefits of using VR to create training simulations, complementing existing decontamination training methods in a secure and cost-effective manner. The proposed approach features a modularized user-centric design, a novel scanning simulation, and a high-realism virtual environment and workflow to enhance training effectiveness. A pilot user study and assessment suggest that new users were able to achieve a significant level of competency with VR, compared to users who underwent traditional training.