Loops—limited object oriented patient simulator: Design criteria for a patient simulation model

Abstract

Economic realities forced the development of computer-based courseware to supplement large-scale exercises in prehospital management of large accidents. The patient simulator is one part of a command and decision training system. This paper presents the design criteria and some clinical aspects of the patient simulator part of this program series. As the aim of the programs is to teach and train actions within the first few hours of the accident, the `physiology' of the simulated patient can be reduced to quite a limited number of parameters. The simulation combines traditional simulation techniques with some table driven probabilistic methods and some fuzzy logic. The interprocess communication techniques and the platform considerations are discussed to the extent that they determine model parameters.