The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist 2009;11:1:55-60
doi: 10.1576/toag.11.1.55.27469
Copyright © 2009 by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Multiprofessional ‘fire-drill’ training in the labour ward
Dimitrios Siassakos, MSc MRCOG, Specialist Registrar in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Clinical Fellow in Medical Education1,2,
Joanna Crofts, BM BS, Specialist Registrar in Obstetrics and Gynaecology3,
Cathy Winter, RM, Practice Development Midwife4,
Timothy Draycott, MD MRCOG, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist5 on behalf of the SaFE Study Group
1. Southmead Hospital, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol BS10 5NB, UK
2. Bristol North Academy, Frenchay Hospital, Bristol BS16 1LE, UK
3. Taunton and Somerset Hospital, Musgrove Park, Taunton, Somerset TA1 5DA, UK
4. Southmead Hospital, Bristol, UK
5. Southmead Hospital, Bristol, UK Email: timothy.draycott{at}nbt.nhs.uk (corresponding author)
Key content:
- Regular multiprofessional rehearsals of the management of obstetric emergencies have been recommended since 1997.
- In-house training is cheap and associated with improved outcomes.
- Teamwork failure is associated with poor obstetric outcome but aviation-based team training is not a panacea: we may need to develop and evaluate obstetric-specific interventions.
Learning objectives:
- To comprehend the importance of rehearsals in the labour ward.
- To understand the components of successful ‘fire-drills’.
Ethical issues:
- Excessive focusing on the processes of training can lead to neglect of teamworking and prevent sustainable differences in outcomes.
- Entrenched negative attitudes to risk management processes can reduce the impact of training.
Please cite this article as: Siassakos D, Crofts J, Winter C, Draycott T. Multiprofessional ‘fire-drill’ training in the labour ward. The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist 2009;11:55–60.
Keywords eclampsia / obstetric emergency / shoulder dystocia / simulation training
Copyright © 2009 by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
