NextGen Training for Medical First Responders: Advancing Mass-Casualty Incident Preparedness through Mixed Reality Technology

Mixed reality (MR) technology has the potential to enhance the disaster preparedness of medical first responders in mass-casualty incidents through new training methods. In this manuscript we present a MR training solution based on requirements collected from experienced medical first responders and technical experts, regular end-user feedback received through the iterative design process used to develop a prototype and feedback from two initial field trials. We discuss key features essential for an effective MR training system, including flexible scenario design, added realism through patient simulator manikins and objective performance assessment. Current technological challenges such as the responsiveness of avatars and the complexity of smart scenario control are also addressed, along with the future potential for integrating artificial intelligence. Furthermore, an advanced analytics and statistics tool that incorporates complex data integration, machine learning for data analysis and visualization techniques for performance evaluation is presented.