Development and Initial Assessment of a Low-Cost Skin Tear Management Task Trainer for Paramedic Education

Inappropriate management of skin tears can result in pain, delayed healing, infection, and reduced mobility.There is growing interest in expanding the paramedic scope of practice to include skin tear management.However, a lack of scalable, low-cost task trainers poses barriers to the implementation of structured training initiatives.Hence, this technical report describes the development of a scalable, low-cost skin tear management task trainer for paramedic education using digital technologies and additive manufacturing, and provides an initial assessment of its perceived acceptability.Three skin tear management task trainer prototypes (type 1, no skin loss; type 2, partial skin loss; type 3, complete skin loss) were co-developed by a team of researchers and an advanced care paramedic.The development process consisted of two iterative rounds of prototyping, testing, and refinement, after which 14 type 1 task trainers were fabricated, integrated into a paramedic training initiative, and assessed across three domains, including (1) self-efficacy, (2) realism, and (3) educational value.Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed.Approximate fabrication time per unit was 20-30 minutes of active labor and 80-90 minutes of curing, depending on the skin tear type.The total cost of the materials used to fabricate the task trainer was 35.29 Canadian dollars (including taxes).This amount excludes capital equipment, including the threedimensional printer, computer-aided design and slicing software, and reusable molds and templates, which are amortized across multiple task trainers.Participants rated the task trainer highly for perceived self-efficacy (4.68/5), realism (4.64/5), and educational value (4.85/5).These scores reflect participants' perceptions rather than objective measures of skill acquisition.Qualitative data yielded three descriptive categories: (1) visual and tactile realism, (2) pathological realism, and (3) procedural complexity and adaptability.Overall, both quantitative and qualitative data indicated that participants perceived the task trainer as an acceptable training tool.This technical report demonstrates the feasibility of developing a scalable, low-cost skin tear management task trainer using digital technologies and additive manufacturing.Future work will focus on standardizing skin flap thickness and developing task trainers with varying skin tear shapes and sizes, anatomical locations, wound presentations, and levels of procedural complexity.Next steps involve implementing the task trainer broadly across paramedic training initiatives and formally evaluating its impact on procedural skill acquisition and maintenance, confidence, and decision-making abilities.