A Structured Method of Teaching Epidural Block reduces the incidence of accidental dural puncture in inexperienced trainees.

Abstract

Background: The rate of accidental dural puncture is particularly high during the period of training, especially in novices. The structured epidural teaching model (SETM) includes three standardized video lessons, the construction of a 3D epidural module by trainees and practical training by using an epidural simulator with and without the CompuFlo™ Epidural instrument. In this study we report the retrospective analysis of the accidental dural puncture rate of inexperienced trainees during their 6 months clinical practice rotation in obstetrics before and after the introduction of the SETM in our Institution. Method: We evaluated the incidence of accidental dural puncture before the introduction of the SETM methodology and afterwards by analyzing our departmental database from February 2019 to January 2023. All epidural blocks were executed by trainees who had never previously performed an epidural block and were about to begin their obstetrics rotation. Results: We analyzed