Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2024
A Statewide Mobile Simulation Program For Improving Obstetric Skills in Rural Hospitals.
Closure of rural obstetric (OB) units has led to maternal care deserts, causing mothers to travel long distances for maternity care. Emergency departments (EDs) in hospitals where OB units have closed require regular training for personnel to maintain OB skills, as do rural Level-1 OB units with low volumes of maternity cases. We used a federal grant to develop an OB mobile simulation program to bring simulation-based training to rural providers. Our goal was to improve OB skills and standardize care through the framework of the Alliance for Innovation in Maternal Health (AIM) Patient Safety Bundles. ⋯ These results demonstrate improved skills of hospital staff in simulated PPH in Level-1 OB units and simulated OB emergencies in EDs that no longer have OB units. Further studies are warranted to assess improvement in maternal outcomes.