Enhancing Cross-Cultural Competence and Adaptability in Emergency Medical Team Junior Members Training through the Implementation of a Serious Game

Introduction: China is a country where diverse ethnic groups coexist, each with its own unique culture. Therefore, national emergency medical teams(nEMTs) need to have a high level of cultural sensitivity and adaptability when carrying out rescue operations. Despite the proven effectiveness of serious games in enhancing general training outcomes, specialized tools targeting cross-cultural skills remained scarce. Therefore, this study introduced an innovative serious game, EMT-CrossCulture Game(ECCG), designed to augment traditional training methods through immersive cultural simulation. Methods: ECCG created immersive scenarios that simulated various cultural and medical emergencies. A retrospective comparative analysis was conducted between 2023 and 2024 with 56 nEMT junior members. Participants were assigned to an experimental group(using ECCG in addition to standard training) and a control group(receiving standard training without the cross-cultural component). Data collection included pre- and post-training assessments, a comprehensive final test, a survey on cross-cultural adaptability, game usage data, and qualitative feedback through semi-structured interviews. The repeated-measures analysis of variance(ANOVA) was used to compare the scores. Results: Significant improvements in cross-cultural competence and adaptability were observed in the experimental group compared to the control group(p<0.05). Additionally, participants in the experimental group reported higher levels of engagement, motivation, and satisfaction with the training. Qualitative feedback provided insights into the strengths and areas for improvement of the game. Conclusion: ECCG training is a potentially effective method for improving the cross-cultural competence and adaptability of NEMT junior members. These findings can provide information for future training programs, and the team is dedicated to developing AR and VR versions to enhance the learning experience and emergency response capabilities.