Simulation and simulator technology in obstetrics: past, present and future

Healthcare has come to appreciate the value of simulation and its role in education, training, evaluation and research. This article reviews simulator technology and the role of simulation in obstetrics. The scope and nature of the obstetric literature published between January 1950 and July 2007 were reviewed. A total of 84 out of the 305 articles identified met criteria for inclusion in this review, most (59/84) having been published since 2000. The field of obstetrical simulation has grown substantially over the past decade. Thus far, the literature supports simulation as an essential tool for practicing routine and critical events, and improving technical proficiency and teamwork. Simulation can serve as a strategy for improving procedural and behavioral skills, potentially mitigating adverse perinatal events. More research is needed to determine whether obstetrical simulation leads to a significant reduction in the risk of birth-related injury and improved birth outcomes.

[1]  J. Gravenstein,et al.  ANESTHESIA SIMULATORS AND TRAINING DEVICES , 1993, International anesthesiology clinics.

[2]  K. Simpson,et al.  Adverse Perinatal Outcomes & Preventing Common Accidents☆ , 2003 .

[3]  L. Gruppen,et al.  To the Point: reviews in medical education online computer assisted instruction materials. , 2006, American journal of obstetrics and gynecology.

[4]  Gerard S Letterie,et al.  How virtual reality may enhance training in obstetrics and gynecology. , 2002, American journal of obstetrics and gynecology.

[5]  S Abrahamson,et al.  COMMENTARY , 1969, Quality and Safety in Health Care.

[6]  A. Satin,et al.  Evaluation of Residents’ Delivery Notes After a Simulated Shoulder Dystocia , 2004, Obstetrics and gynecology.

[7]  A. Ziv,et al.  Features and uses of high-fidelity medical simulations that lead to effective learning: a BEME systematic review , 2005, Medical teacher.

[8]  M S Gordon,et al.  Cardiology patient simulator. Development of an animated manikin to teach cardiovascular disease. , 1974, The American journal of cardiology.

[9]  Andrew Whitelaw,et al.  Does training in obstetric emergencies improve neonatal outcome? , 2006, BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology.

[10]  Jeffrey B Cooper,et al.  Crisis resource management training for an anaesthesia faculty: a new approach to continuing education , 2004, Medical education.

[11]  E Salas,et al.  It is not how much you have but how you use it: toward a rational use of simulation to support aviation training. , 1998, The International journal of aviation psychology.

[12]  A. Gallagher,et al.  Approval of virtual reality training for carotid stenting: what this means for procedural-based medicine. , 2004, JAMA.

[13]  D. Etches,et al.  Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics. Practical approaches to obstetric emergencies. , 1998, Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien.

[14]  J. Beaubien,et al.  The use of simulation for training teamwork skills in health care: how low can you go? , 2004, Quality and Safety in Health Care.

[15]  Improving Resident Competency in the Management of Shoulder Dystocia With Simulation Training , 2004, Obstetrics and gynecology.

[16]  D. Freeth,et al.  MOSES: Multidisciplinary obstetric simulated emergency scenarios , 2006, Journal of interprofessional care.

[17]  D M Gaba,et al.  Improving anesthesiologists' performance by simulating reality. , 1992, Anesthesiology.

[18]  G. Suresh,et al.  Evaluation and Development of Potentially Better Practices for Perinatal and Neonatal Communication and Collaboration , 2006, Pediatrics.

[19]  Patient Safety in Labor and Delivery: A Team Approach to High Reliability , 2007 .

[20]  H A Schwid,et al.  A flight simulator for general anesthesia training. , 1987, Computers and biomedical research, an international journal.

[21]  F. Plaat,et al.  Why Mothers Die — Report on Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in the United Kingdom 1994–96 , 1999, Anaesthesia.

[22]  Managing Obstetric Emergencies and Trauma (MOET) structured skills training in Armenia, utilising models and reality based scenarios , 2002, BMC medical education.

[23]  K. Abrams,et al.  The Use of a Human Patient Simulator in the Evaluation of and Development of a Remedial Prescription for an Anesthesiologist with Lapsed Medical Skills , 2002, Anesthesia and analgesia.

[24]  T. Benedetti,et al.  Professional Liability Issues and Practice Patterns of Obstetric Providers in Washington State , 2006, Obstetrics and gynecology.

[25]  Tanneguy Redarce,et al.  Birth simulator: reliability of transvaginal assessment of fetal head station as defined by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists classification. , 2005, American journal of obstetrics and gynecology.

[26]  A. Ziv,et al.  Simulation-based medical education: an ethical imperative. , 2006, Simulation in healthcare : journal of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.

[27]  D. Gaba,et al.  A comprehensive anesthesia simulation environment: re-creating the operating room for research and training. , 1988, Anesthesiology.

[28]  A. McLaughlin,et al.  Obstetric skills drills: evaluation of teaching methods. , 2007, Nurse education today.

[29]  J B Cooper,et al.  A brief history of the development of mannequin simulators for clinical education and training , 2004, Quality and Safety in Health Care.

[30]  T. Nesbitt,et al.  The advanced life support in obstetrics course. A national program to enhance obstetric emergency skills and to support maternity care practice. , 1994, Archives of family medicine.

[31]  G. G. Gilbert,et al.  Simulation training in the obstetrics and gynecology clerkship. , 2006, American journal of obstetrics and gynecology.

[32]  R J Lapeer.  A mechanical contact model for the simulation of obstetric forceps delivery in a virtual/augmented environment. , 2005, Studies in health technology and informatics.

[33]  D. Gaba.  The future vision of simulation in health care , 2004, Quality and Safety in Health Care.

[34]  Tanneguy Redarce,et al.  A new obstetric forceps for the training of junior doctors: a comparison of the spatial dispersion of forceps blade trajectories between junior and senior obstetricians. , 2006, American journal of obstetrics and gynecology.

[35]  J. Car,et al.  Open disclosure: the only approach to medical error , 1999, Quality and Safety in Health Care.

[36]  D. Magrane,et al.  STUDENT DOCTORS AND WOMEN IN LABOR: ATTITUDES AND EXPECTATIONS , 1996, Obstetrics and gynecology.

[37]  C. V. D. van der Vleuten,et al.  Can medical schools rely on clerkships to train students in basic clinical skills? , 1999, Medical education.

[38]  R. Glavin,et al.  Low‐ to high‐fidelity simulation – a continuum of medical education? , 2003, Medical education.

[39]  Jason H. Yang,et al.  Comparing McRoberts' and Rubin's maneuvers for initial management of shoulder dystocia: an objective evaluation. , 2005, American journal of obstetrics and gynecology.

[40]  Ake Grenvik,et al.  From Resusci-Anne to Sim-Man: the evolution of simulators in medicine. , 2004, Critical care medicine.

[41]  A. Satin,et al.  Simulation laboratories for training in obstetrics and gynecology. , 2003, Obstetrics and gynecology.

[42]  A. Wall,et al.  Book ReviewTo Err is Human: building a safer health system Kohn L T Corrigan J M Donaldson M S Washington DC USA: Institute of Medicine/National Academy Press ISBN 0 309 06837 1 $34.95 , 2000 .

[43]  Robert Riener,et al.  The delivery simulator: a new application of medical VR. , 2004, Studies in health technology and informatics.

[44]  Glenn Regehr,et al.  Evaluating Teamwork in a Simulated Obstetric Environment , 2007 .

[45]  Jane Marie Cioffi,et al.  A pilot study to investigate the effect of a simulation strategy on the clinical decision making of midwifery students. , 2005, The Journal of nursing education.

[46]  A F Merry,et al.  Simulators for use in anaesthesia , 2007, Anaesthesia.

[47]  D. Kolb.  Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development , 1983 .

[48]  Viva J. Siddall,et al.  Development of an Objective Scoring System for Measurement of Resident Performance on the Human Patient Simulator , 2006, Anesthesiology.

[49]  Sanjeev Dutta,et al.  To simulate or not to simulate: what is the question? , 2006, Annals of surgery.

[50]  K. Simpson,et al.  Adverse perinatal outcomes. Recognizing, understanding & preventing common accidents. , 2003, AWHONN lifelines.

[51]  C. Kelly,et al.  Enhancing Graduate Nurses’ Health Assessment Knowledge and Skills Using Low-fidelity Adult Human Simulation , 2007, Simulation in healthcare : journal of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.

[52]  Shad Deering,et al.  Simulation Training and Resident Performance of Singleton Vaginal Breech Delivery , 2006, Obstetrics and gynecology.

[53]  Buck Gh,et al.  Development of simulators in medical education. , 1991 .

[54]  Betty Chou,et al.  Simulators and virtual reality in surgical education. , 2006, Obstetrics and gynecology clinics of North America.

[55]  D. Gaba,et al.  Anesthesia crisis resource management training: teaching anesthesiologists to handle critical incidents. , 1992, Aviation, space, and environmental medicine.

[56]  Atul Grover,et al.  Physician workforce shortages: implications and issues for academic health centers and policymakers. , 2006, Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

[57]  J. Morrison,et al.  The 80-hour workweek restriction: How are OB/GYN resident procedure numbers affected? , 2006, The journal of maternal-fetal & neonatal medicine : the official journal of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies, the International Society of Perinatal Obstetricians.

[58]  D. Bower,et al.  The effects of the ALSO course as an educational intervention for residents. Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics. , 1997, Family medicine.

[59]  V. González-Quintero,et al.  The advanced life support in obstetrics course as an orientation tool for obstetrics and gynecology residents. , 2007, American journal of obstetrics and gynecology.

[60]  S Barry Issenberg,et al.  The scope of simulation-based healthcare education. , 2006, Simulation in healthcare : journal of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.

[61]  Recurrent Obstetric Management Mistakes Identified by Simulation , 2007 .

[62]  S. Thompson,et al.  Clinical risk management in obstetrics: eclampsia drills* , 2004, Quality and Safety in Health Care.

[63]  Robert Fox,et al.  Training for Shoulder Dystocia: A Trial of Simulation Using Low-Fidelity and High-Fidelity Mannequins , 2006, Obstetrics and gynecology.

[64]  F. Dewan,et al.  MOET: Bangladesh – an initial experience , 2002, The journal of obstetrics and gynaecology research.

[65]  J. Regensteiner,et al.  Why Do Some Women Refuse to Allow Male Residents to Perform Pelvic Exams? , 2002, Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

[66]  J. Beasley,et al.  The Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO®) Program: Fourteen Years of Progress , 2005, Prehospital and Disaster Medicine.