Evaluation of a Novel Simulation Course for Obstetric Trauma at a Level One Trauma Center

INTRODUCTION: Trauma is the leading cause of non-obstetric maternal death; however, providers may be unfamiliar and inconsistent with the management of these patients. We hypothesized that the obstetric trauma resuscitation course we created at one of the worlds largest simulation centers would be beneficial to learners’ education. METHODS: Trainees on the trauma, emergency surgery, and critical care services who were ATLS certified participated in an obstetric trauma resuscitation course. The participants performed a pre-course patient simulation with an evaluation tool. Next, they watched an educational presentation followed by participation in a different but similar obstetric patient simulation with the same evaluation tool (Figure). At the completion of the course, participants completed an anonymous survey.RESULTS: Trainees performed significantly better following the educational course (mean pre-test score: 65% vs mean post-test score: 90%, p < 0.05) indicating a significant increase in knowledge. Pre-course, the most frequently missed treatment interventions included: 1) recognizing important laboratory differences in pregnancy and 2) identifying the uterus as the source of hemorrhage. Both were significantly improved during the second simulation (p < 0.05). All participants strongly agreed that they would recommend this course to a colleague, reported increased confidence in the management of obstetric trauma patients and would apply the lessons learned to their clinical practice. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that a novel simulation course is helpful to improve learners’ knowledge in managing the resuscitation of obstetric trauma patients. We will continue to evaluate this course with the goal of integrating it into the trauma curriculum at our institution.Figure