Disaster medicine is an increasingly important part of medicine. Training in the practical aspects of disaster medicine often is impossible, and simulation may offer an educational opportunity superior to traditional didactic methods.

Twenty-two medical students at the Università degli studi del Piemonte Orientale were block-randomized into two groups of 11 students stratified by year of education. All participants received an eight-hour course of lectures and problem-based learning in disaster medicine. The intervention group received additional disaster medicine training on the disastermed.ca patient simulator, while the control group spent equal time on the simulator in a non-disaster setting. The ability of the two groups to manage a simulated disaster was compared.

Students in the intervention group were able to triage their patients more quickly than the control group (mean difference = 43 seconds, 95% CI 0.34–1.09 minutes, p <0.0003). Patients in the intervention group also were assessed more quickly (mean difference = 6.3 minutes, 95% CI = 0.4–12.1 minutes, p <0.04). Scores of performance indicators on a standardized scale was significantly higher in the intervention group (18/18) compared to the control group (8/18; p <0.0004). All students stated that they preferred the simulation-based curriculum to a lecture-based curriculum. When asked to rate the exercise overall, the median score was 8 on a 10-point modified Likert scale with no difference between the control and intervention groups.

Simulation of a mass-casualty incident increased the speed at which medical students were able to triage and assess simulated patients. Exposure to the disaster simulation also increased the scores on a structured command-and-control performance indicator instrument. Overall student satisfaction with the simulation-based curriculum was high, and all students felt that the simulation was a valuable learning experience.