Realistic simulation and gamification in first aid for the Physiotherapy course

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: First aid is the initial procedures and measures provided to victims of sudden or traumatic illness from the location of the event until the arrival of the specialized emergency service. One of the ways to learn first aid is through teaching based on realistic simulation. OBJECTIVE: To describe training based on simulation and gamification used in first aid classes with second-semester physiotherapy students. METHODOLOGY: This is a descriptive study with a qualitative approach. Theoretical-practical activities were developed with physiotherapy students in the classroom and the simulation laboratory. In the classroom, the teacher presented and discussed the concepts of different situations in which first aid is applied. For practical classes, clinical cases were proposed in which students should perform appropriate actions on the mannequins or themselves, depending on the simulated situation. To measure the perception of these students, they were asked to respond to a validated questionnaire called the Satisfaction Scale with Simulated Clinical Experiences. RESULTS: The present work showed that, in general, students were satisfied with the simulated practical classes despite three items in the questionnaire having obtained lower percentage marks. CONCLUSION: According to the academics' responses to the questionnaire items, simulation-based teaching should be encouraged in undergraduate physiotherapy courses due to the potential benefits described in this work.