Longitudinal assessment of obstetrics and gynecology resident perceptions and comfort following cerclage placement simulation

• Published in: The journal of maternal-fetal & neonatal medicine Vol. 35; no. 25; pp. 9222 - 9226
• Main Authors: Whittington, Julie R., Shnaekel, Kelsey L., Ramseyer, Abigail M., Cato, Mattison, Ounpraseuth, Songthip, Hughes, Dawn S., Magann, Everett F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 12-12-2022
• Subjects: attitude; Cerclage; resident; simulation; skills; training; skills; training; Cerclage; simulation; attitude; resident
• ISSN: 1476-7058; 1476-4954
• DOI: 10.1080/14767058.2021.2022646

Utilization of simulation training in medical education has increased over time, particularly for less common scenarios and procedures. Simulation allows trainees to practice in a low-stress environment and eliminates patient risk. Cerclage placement has become less frequent, which limits obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) exposure to cerclage placement during training. This exposes an area of training requiring simulation in OB/GYN resident education.
To evaluate resident reception to cerclage simulation, their self-reported comfort with and ability to troubleshoot difficult cerclage placement immediately and 12 months following didactic education and simulation.
In 2019, 18/20 (90%) OB/GYN residents in our university program underwent didactic teaching and simulation in cerclage placement using a pelvic model with removable cervix. Residents completed a survey immediately and 12 months following simulation. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to analyze resident self-report of comfort with cerclage placement and skill techniques for navigating difficult placement before and after simulation training. Descriptive statistics were analyzed as means and standard deviations.
Eighteen of twenty (90%) residents participated in the education session in cerclage placement. All 18 (100%) completed a postsimulation survey and 17/18 (94%) completed a survey 12 months later. All reported improved comfort with cerclage placement and statistically significant improvement in knowledge on techniques for troubleshooting difficult placement after simulation. All residents reported that the simulation enhanced their learning and recommended the simulation for future educational opportunities.
Cerclage simulation was well-received by OB/GYN residents in learning and practicing cerclage placement. Residents demonstrated improved comfort with placement following simulation.