Investigating the Effects of Debriefing in Obstetric Anesthesia Simulation Sessions on Non-Technical Skills, A Pilot Randomized Controlled Study

Authors

Meriem Bouchareb, Department of Anesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Badji Mokhtar University, Annaba, AlgeriaFollow
Wafa Guellati, Department of obstetrics and gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Badji Mokhtar University, Annaba, Algeria
Hayet Makhlouf, Department of Anesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Badji Mokhtar University, Annaba, Algeria.
Samia Felfli, Department of Anesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Badji Mokhtar University, Annaba, Algeria.
Mahfoud Djebien, Department of Anesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Badji Mokhtar University, Annaba, Algeria

Abstract

Purpose. The present study aims to investigate the utilization of simulation-based training in addressing obstetric emergencies, with the goal of enhancing the crisis management capabilities of anesthesia professionals through what is known as Crew Resource Management (CRM) techniques in obstetric settings. The primary objective of this paper is to assess the influence of this program, which is centered on emergency obstetric scenarios, on the non-technical proficiencies among upcoming anesthesiology practitioners.

Method. The research employs experimental setup involving both experimental and control groups. The independent variable involves the application of debriefing sessions on non-technical skills, administered solely to the experimental group subjects. The dependent variable under scrutiny is the performance in crisis management. They are measured using the “ANTS” “Anaesthetists’ Non-Technical Skills” system.

Results: Forty-Eight anesthesia professionals, including residents and nurses, took part. After statistical analysis, it was found that in the post-test phase, the average score of the experimental group (56.87±7.06) surpassed that of the control group (30.62±7.69). The outcomes of the t-test indicate a rejection of the null hypothesis in support of the research hypothesis, p<0.0001.

Regarding KAPPA results, the scores were analyzed for inter-evaluator reliability using the Kappa method. The reliability is in the range of "strong agreement" (0.61 to 0.80) and "near perfect agreement" (0.81 to 1) for all elements.

As for the results relating to the most important areas that showed the greatest improvement, they concerned the "Teamwork" category, with a pre-test score of: (7.81 ± 2.22), and posttest of (19.37 ± 3.05).

Discussion. Our research underscores that employing simulation scenarios coupled with targeted debriefing results in enhanced non-technical skills among anesthesia providers when dealing with simulated obstetric crises.

The debriefings that followed the initial simulation scenarios aimed to strengthen the non-technical skills required for the management of intraoperative obstetric emergencies. The statistically substantial gains in participants' scores show that the simulation-based training paradigm appears to be effective in teaching them.

Conclusion. Our study emphasizes that training by simulation scenarios, with a specific debriefing, leads to the acquisition of higher non-technical skills by anaesthesia providers during a simulated obstetric crisis management. This shows that the simulation-based training paradigm seems to be effective in teaching them.

Recommended Citation

Bouchareb, Meriem; Guellati, Wafa; Makhlouf, Hayet; Felfli, Samia; and Djebien, Mahfoud (2024) "Investigating the Effects of Debriefing in Obstetric Anesthesia Simulation Sessions on Non-Technical Skills, A Pilot Randomized Controlled Study," Health Professions Education: Vol. 10: Iss. 4, Article 10.
DOI: 10.55890/2452-3011.1307
Available at: https://hpe.researchcommons.org/journal/vol10/iss4/10