title: Simulation: improving patient outcomes.
abstract: Effective training has been shown to improve perinatal care and outcome, decrease litigation claims and reduce midwifery sick leave. To be effective, training should be incentivised, in a realistic context, and delivered to inter-professional teams similar to those delivering actual care. Teamwork training is a useful addition, but it should be based on the characteristics of effective teamwork as derived from the study of frontline teams. Implementation of simulation and teamwork training is challenging, with constraints on staff time, facilities and finances. Local adoption and adaptation of effective programmes can help keep costs down, and make them locally relevant whilst maintaining effectiveness. Training programmes need to evolve continually in line with new evidence. To do this, it is vital to monitor outcomes and robustly evaluate programmes for their impact on patient care and outcome, not just on participants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Women's Health, Southmead Hospital, Bristol BS10 5NB, UK. abi.c.smith@gmail.com
authors.forename: Abi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Siassakos
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Crofts
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Draycott
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D035881:Compensation and Redress; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D016365:Liability, Legal; D008880:Midwifery / Q000592:standards; D009042:Motivation; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000193:education* / Q000592:standards; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D016544:Patient Simulation; D011247:Pregnancy; D058996:Quality Improvement; D016896:Treatment Outcome