Crisis on the game board – a novel approach to teach medical students about disaster medicine

Introduction: Every year, natural and other disasters cause significant loss of life around the world. This calls for an improved response from, among others, the health professions to strengthen disaster medicine, whether relating to prevention, emergency response or recovery. It includes both knowledge and competencies, such as planning, coordination, and communication. Simulations can be used to acquire these competencies. Project description: In 2016, the German Medical Students’ Association founded the project “Disaster Medicine” with the goal of educating and connecting medical students interested in the topic. AFTERSHOCK, a board game simulating early disaster response after an earthquake, was utilized for workshops. It highlights the need for interagency cooperation and the challenges of responding to disasters in dynamic and highly complex settings. Seven workshops were facilitated between October 2016 and December 2017. A survey was conducted to assess participant satisfaction and the design of the workshop. Results: 89 German medical students participated and 74 (83 %) responded with written evaluation. Students generally reported moderate to low levels of previous knowledge. The event produced very positive feedback, with participants overwhelmingly finding the simulation to be a useful or very useful way to learn about the challenges of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Qualitative feedback included requests for more theoretical background information and highlighted the need for small group sizes. Discussion and Conclusion: Board games such as AFTERSHOCK are well-suited for medical education and enjoy high rates of acceptance among students. To ensure deeper and longer-term learning, they should be accompanied by theoretical coursework.