Columbus, OH,
27
September
2016
|
18:10 PM
Europe/Amsterdam

Columbus Dispatch: Teaming Up For On-Ice Safety

download
OhioHealth Newsroom Ice Rink Rescues - Thorpe

Tens of thousands of people are counting down until the puck is dropped on another Columbus Blue Jackets season. And when the players and officials hit the ice for the NHL season they will have plenty of people not only watching the action on the ice, but also ready to act in case there is a serious injury or medical situation.

This month, members of the Columbus Blue Jackets training staff, emergency physicians, Columbus Division of Fire medics, and teams from OhioHealth Medical Education and Human Simulation teamed up for a truly one of a kind training.

“It was nice because it was a group of learners we have worked with before,” Dr. Brad Gable, Associate Program Director of OhioHealth Medical Simulation said.

As part of the program, the medication education and human simulation teams came up with scenario based training ideas for the first responders to get a hands-on experience for worst case scenarios. The exercises included two separate types of patients inside the arena.

The first scenario had two actors dressed in full hockey gear from head to toe. In those instances, the players had suffered a possible spine injury and required to be checked out on the ice, mobilized and treated. A second exercise used the mannequins from the OhioHealth Human Simulation and Medical Education team members on the ice and bench areas. In those scenarios, the medical teams had to identify there was a problem, signal to first responders and emergency physicians on location, move the patient and start the proper life-saving techniques.

“Typically the groups would get together and they would just talk about it, but we heard they wanted to be able to work together and get hands-on with the simulations, so we got to work,” Dr. Gable said.

Those mannequins can be controlled by the simulation teams to respond to the care being given. They can be given CPR, and much more. Those running the simulation can adjust in real time what the first responders are doing, basically having the ability to change the scenario on the fly.

“Are the players and on-ice personnel going to be safer for what we did here, and overwhelmingly the answer was yes,” Dr. Gable said. The hope from those who participated and put on the event is that the techniques and learning happening in Columbus, Ohio can be used and replicated inside other stadium locations and in other parts of the country.

The Columbus Dispatch spent the day watching the simulations and talked with many of the teams that took part. To read their article, click on The Columbus Dispatch logo.