Decay in blood loss estimation skills after web-based didactic training.
BACKGROUND
Accuracy in blood loss estimation has been shown to improve immediately after didactic training. The objective of this study was to evaluate retention of blood loss estimation skills 9 months after a didactic web-based training.


METHODS
Forty-four participants were recruited from a cohort that had undergone web-based training and testing in blood loss estimation. The web-based posttraining test, consisting of pictures of simulated blood loss, was repeated 9 months after the initial training and testing. The primary outcome was the difference in accuracy of estimated blood loss (percent error) at 9 months compared with immediately posttraining.


RESULTS
At the 9-month follow-up, the median error in estimation worsened to -34.6%. Although better than the pretraining error of -47.8% (P = 0.003), the 9-month error was significantly less accurate than the immediate posttraining error of -13.5% (P = 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Decay in blood loss estimation skills occurs by 9 months after didactic training.
Department of Anesthesiology, Institute for Healthcare Studies, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA. p-toledo@md.northwestern.edu
Paloma
P
Toledo
Stanley T
ST
Eosakul
Kristopher
K
Goetz
Cynthia A
CA
Wong
William A
WA
Grobman
D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois; D020407:Internet; D019106:Postoperative Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006473:Postpartum Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*