The Role of Low-Fidelity Simulation in Labor and Delivery
Improving Maternal and Newborn Care
Simulating birth scenarios can help healthcare professionals recognise and potentially mitigate adverse events for new mothers and newborns.1 However, the degree of realism or "fidelity" chosen for those scenarios does not always have to be extreme. Often when educators begin to plan scenarios around labour and delivery, their strategy jumps quickly to high-fidelity, full-bodied birthing simulators. But, depending on the learning goals, the effort required to plan and set up a high-fidelity simulation can be unnecessary and labour-intensive.
Low-fidelity simulation can provide learners with a wealth of training experience – at minimal expense. Below, we sum up three ways that you can use low-fidelity simulation training to reduce preventable harm to maternal and newborn patients.
Standardised Patient – Improving Skills Performance for New Learners
The use of standardised patients (SP) can be beneficial to develop a practitioner’s interpersonal communication skills. Because SPs can verbalise symptoms that they are experiencing, they are particularly useful in gathering patient history and diagnosing symptoms. By using a SP’s body language to convey certain information, healthcare professionals are required to be more observant of their patient.
One scenario developed by the University of Washington Medical Center Labor & Delivery Unit proved the benefits of using a SP in a birth scenario. Enacting an obstetric bleeding emergency, the SP provided critical triggers to the healthcare team. As the patient’s condition worsened, the SP became anxious and concerned.3 By using this type of practice, learners improved their observational and professional skills.
By incorporating a SP into your scenario, you can introduce a real, human element to your simulation training. Learners can converse with a "real" patient, observing physical cues and considering their overall demeanour to form a more complete diagnosis.
Simulation is Never a One-size-fits-all Solution
Taking into consideration a program’s size, budget, and learning goals, each simulation should be and will be different. For scenarios that do not require high-fidelity, resource-rich simulation equipment, there are other options available.
Whether they are used together or alone, task trainers and standardised patients both have their unique role. They can enforce foundational clinical assessment and procedural skills and help to develop a learner’s interpersonal and communication skills, respectively. What is even more exciting is that, when used appropriately together, they can help you achieve both skill sets in your learners.