Obstetric emergencies: Enhancing the multidisciplinary team through simulation.

SIMULATION methods in education; OBSTETRICAL emergencies; MIDWIFERY education; EDUCATION of physicians; CLINICAL competence; COMMUNICATIVE competence; CONTINUING education; HEALTH care teams; INTERDISCIPLINARY education; MATERNAL health services; CASE studies; QUESTIONNAIRES; SURVEYS; TEAMS in the workplace; QUALITATIVE research; THEMATIC analysis; EDUCATIONAL outcomes; DESCRIPTIVE statistics

Background The multidisciplinary team facilitated simulation sessions that took place within a local Trust during a study day called 'Managing the sick obstetric patient' and during annual training of maternity staff. Aim To discuss and analyse the importance of the using the multidisciplinary team during high fidelity simulation. The aim was to review how effective the staff thought the simulation was in supporting them to enhance their skills working as a team. Methods Following the simulation session with the multidisciplinary team, a feedback sheet in the form of a questionnaire was given to all participants of the study day to evaluate its effectiveness. The themes were then derived from the data for analysis. Findings The main themes that were highlighted were: 'improved team working', 'realism', and 'helpful refresher'. There were also three sub-themes that emerged from data collection: 'feedback was practical and efficient', 'increased confidence and communication skills', and 'could be made more realistic'. Conclusions High fidelity simulation plays a major role in training and assessing the competence of staff. Staff valued the simulation and reported that they achieved increased confidence and communication skills as a result of participating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]