WASHINGTON -- Basic casualty care is a critical skill every Soldier must learn to survive and help others survive on the battlefield.
How to effectively teach the basics of combat care is always a topic of discussion, said Col. Dan Irizarry, a medical doctor who serves as clinical advisor to the Defense Health Agency's Joint Project Manager for Medical Modeling and Simulation and the Army's Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation.
Unit first responder tactical combat casualty care training is extremely variable across the Army and Department of Defense, even though it is based on the same material created by the Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care.
Teaching methods for that coursework includes lectures, textbooks and hands-on training. Nevertheless, dated methods like lectures and textbooks are not the medium of choice for many millennials, who make up the bulk of today's Army and who are more conversant with apps, Irizarry said.
"Most units, pressed for training time, shorten and modify TC3 presentations to meet unit manpower and time constraints when delivering a TC3 course," Irizarry said. "This introduces training inconsistency across the formation which can impact training effectiveness and ultimately readiness."
In response to this problem, PEO STRI recently prototyped a user-friendly medical app called the Tactical Combat Casualty Care All Combatant Cognitive Trainer, or TC3 ACCT. The new app provides a consistent, but personalized presentation of TC3 material to each learner on any mobile device.
Recent testing of the app was conducted by Soldiers from U.S. Army Alaska at Fort Wainwright. Hands-on skills validation training supplemented the app.
POSITIVE FEEDBACK
"Feedback from early TC3 ACCT testing by Army units has been very positive and the app was well-received by Soldiers and leadership alike," Irizarry said.
Soldiers using the app had at least equal knowledge-base development in less time, an average of 5.3 hours, as compared to a group who used a lecture-based training approach that took an average of 12 hours, he said.
Also, 96 percent of Soldiers using the app said it was easy to learn using the app and 92 percent reported that the app was technically easy to use, he said.
Irizarry said one reason this app is an improvement over the traditional lecture based training method is because it uses adaptive learning technology. Adaptive learning technology customizes curriculum to meet a learner's unique needs using computer algorithms and provides students and instructors continuous feedback on how well the material is mastered.
Additionally, the app, which contains videos as well as photos, makes it possible for Soldiers to more effectively train anytime, anywhere, reducing time spent in brick-and-mortar facility training, he said, and making training much more convenient.
User testing was conducted in areas with limited Internet connectivity in Alaska, suggesting remote use is feasible, though content is definitely delivered better with Internet connectivity, he added.
"TC3 ACCT helps Soldiers sustain knowledge over time by using proven learning principles that reintroduce information to the learner at the time when knowledge starts to fade, as opposed to an annual training requirement," he said. This increases long-term memory of the information, which increases readiness.
The Army is presently considering ways to improve training using adaptive learning technologies. This early user assessment suggests, based on cost, feedback and user performance metrics, that this might be a wise investment and could be a viable means to help deliver and track DOD required training.
All TC3 ACCT materials are derived from the All Service Member TCCC course published by the Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care and the Defense Health Agency Deployed Medicine Website, Irizarry said.
Prototype funding for TC3 ACCT was obtained by PEO STRI through an Other Transaction Authority contract. With an OTA contract, funding can become available in weeks rather than the years it might normally take going through the traditional acquisition process, he said.
As this is a prototype undergoing evaluation, access to the app is currently restricted to those who possess a software license.
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