This software is a game designed to simulate the decision making process
of an emergency or ICU physician. It contains a database of patient-types
(each with a particular disease) consisting of a set of vital and physical
exam signs, and predetermined responses to the players actions. These
parameters are set for each patient based on each disease’s pathology.
The player has a series of actions and investigations from which to choose.
The game’s object is to respond appropriately (with proper actions and
proper timeframe) to the vital signs and parameters presented, according to
basic principles of pathophysiology as well as current guidelines in
resuscitation medicine. The use is as an educational device and a diverting
game that medical professionals may use to learn the basics of
resuscitating critically ill patients suffering from severe, potentially lifethreatening issues.
The game offers on demand, probabilistically generated scenarios
encompassing life threatening issues that can arise in an emergency
situation right at one's computer monitor at any time, without a sim tech or
instructor. It teaches basic guidelines of how to stabilize patients
appropriately before they get definitive care and how to generate the line of
communication for the patient to get the type of definitive care needed. The
software creates a probabilistic engine that "throws" patients at the player
in a distribution consistent with typical epidemiological patterns. Because a
player must respond to both the parameters generated as well as aspects
of the underlying disease, a player may respond differently to the same
patient, consistent with real life. Also in contrast to other simulation games
the simplicity of the graphical interface and the modularity of our patienttypes and coding allow us to constantly update our game.