Education/Simulation
Poster Session 1
Andrea Shields, MD, MSCR (she/her/hers)
Maternal Fetal Medicine Fellowship Program Director
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Farmington, CT, United States
Jacqueline Battistelli, MD
OB Hospitalist
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX, United States
Kristen Annis, RN
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Farmington, CT, United States
Charles Minard, PhD
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX, United States
Brook Thomson, MD
Associate Professor
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
San Antonio, TX, United States
Peter D. Nielsen, MD
Adjunct Assistant Professor
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
San Antonio, TX, United States
Obstetric Life Support (OBLS) is a simulation-based blended learning curriculum on managing maternal cardiac arrest that consists of self-guided pre-course work and an instructor-led simulation course using a customized low-fidelity simulator. Our objective was to assess course pass rates and performance on cognitive and Megacode assessments following completion of the course.
Study Design:
We performed a randomized, controlled, single-blinded trial of the OBLS curriculum versus no education between May 2022 - July 2023. Eligible participants were healthcare professionals in active practice in prehospital and hospital-based settings who respond to maternal medical emergencies, were English-speaking, and were at least 18 years old. Megacode evaluators were blinded to assignment groups. Our primary outcomes were overall course pass rates determined by performance on validated cognitive and Megacode assessments. The secondary outcome was self-efficacy in clinical, procedural, knowledge, and communication skills following completion of the course.
Results:
We consented and randomized 49 participants. Seven participants withdrew before the intervention. The final analysis included 42 participants, 22 in the control group (c-OBLS) and 20 in the intervention group (i-OBLS). c-OBLS participants were older than i-OBLS participants (46.1 versus 33.6 years old, P=0.0182). There was no other difference in baseline demographics, and all but one c-OBLS participant had current training in basic (BLS) and advanced cardiac life support (ACLS). OBLS course pass rates were higher in the i-OBLS compared with c-OBLS (90.5% and 9.5%, P< 0.0001), Table 1. Mean cognitive scores were higher in i-OBLS than in c-OBLS (78.5 versus 64.9%, P=0.0003). Mean confidence scores were higher in i-OBLS versus c-OBLS (192.5 versus 160.4, P=0.0016).
Conclusion:
OBLS-trained participants achieved higher course pass rates and cognitive and Megacode scores as team leaders than participants without additional training. Self-efficacy scores were much higher in those completing OBLS training than those without additional training.