Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2025 Oct 6;19:e276. doi: 10.1017/dmp.2025.10206.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To compare the effectiveness of tabletop exercises (TTX) and high-fidelity in-person simulations (IPS) in improving knowledge, confidence, and perceived preparedness in disaster medicine among emergency medicine residents.
METHODS: A prospective, randomized educational intervention was conducted across 2 urban emergency medicine residency programs. Sixty-three residents were randomized to TTX or IPS groups. Each group completed a preintervention knowledge and confidence assessment, participated in their assigned exercise based on a simulated mass casualty incident (MCI), and underwent a structured debrief. Postintervention surveys assessed change in knowledge and self-reported comfort levels. A paired 2-tailed Student’s t-test was utilized to compare results. Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.01.
RESULTS: Both groups demonstrated increased self-reported confidence and knowledge regarding management of MCIs. TTX participants showed higher median post-test scores (77.4%, N = 38) compared to IPS participants (67.4%, N = 25). Results were not statistically significant (P = 0.079).
CONCLUSIONS: TTX is an effective modality for disaster medicine education, with outcomes comparable to IPS. While TTX may better align with knowledge-based assessments, IPS remains essential for practicing real-time decision-making under stress. Combining these 2 modalities may provide both the knowledge base and psychological duress required for robust disaster scenario training.
PMID:41047872 | DOI:10.1017/dmp.2025.10206
