Development of a New Tabletop Game for Mass Casualty Incidents (“MassCas Game”) Using the Innovative “Double Diamond” Methodology

Introduction: Training in mass casualty incidents (MCI) usually requires complex drills and great logistical effort. For years, different teaching groups have used tabletop simulation exercises in training activities to improve response to mass casualty incidents. It is difficult to find affordable tabletop games that fulfill training requirements. Methods: We used the “Double Diamond” methodology from the innovation field of knowledge. There are four stages: 1) Discovery or identification of needs; 2) Definition, in which we specify the challenges on which we will focus; and 3) Development. Generation of ideas as solutions to the identified challenges and then testing their implementation; and 4) Delivery, in which the designed solution is put into operation. Results: We identified that there is a need for a tabletop game for MCI to be easy to get. After ten years of using basic and rudimentary tabletop games, we have defined the needs. In a one-year project, we developed the game with the premise of being easily transported and at a reduced production cost. “MassCas” game can simulate many different scenarios (collapse buildings, fires, terrorist attacks, road accidents, rain accidents, mass gatherings, etc), risks (fire, explosion, chemical spills, active shooter, etc), and resources (different types of ambulances, rescue teams, police, etc). We have also developed patients with the possibility to identify life-saving interventions (tourniquet, pneumothorax drainage, and oropharyngeal device). Conclusion: We have designed a tabletop game that is easy to transport at a reduced cost, adaptable to providers’ needs (emergency teams, primary health care teams, etc.), and able to simulate many different scenarios. This study has been partially financed by the Foundation for Biosanitary Research and Innovation of the Principality of Asturias (FINBA), the managing entity of the Health Research Institute of the Principality of Asturias (ISPA).