Simulation in Neonatal Resuscitation

Abstract

Approximately 1 in 10 newborns will require basic resuscitation interventions at birth. Some infants progress to require more advanced measures including the provision of positive pressure ventilation, chest compressions, intubation and administration of volume/cardiac medications. Although advanced resuscitation is infrequent, it is crucial that personnel adequately trained in these techniques are available to provide such resuscitative measures. In 2000, Louis Halmalek et al. called for a "New Paradigm in Pediatric Medical Education: Teaching Neonatal Resuscitation in a Simulated Delivery Room Environment." This was one of the first articles to highlight simulation as a method of teaching newborn resuscitation. The last decades have seen an exponential growth in the area of simulation in newborn care, in particular in newborn resuscitation and stabilization. Simulation is best defined as an instructional strategy "used to replace or amplify real experiences with guided experiences that evoke or replicate substantial aspects of the real world in a fully interactive manner." Simulation training has now become an important point of how we structure training and deliver improved healthcare to patients. Some of the key aspects of simulation training include feedback, deliberate practice, outcome measurement, retention of skills and curriculum integration. The term "Train to win" is often used in sporting parlance to define how great teams succeed. The major difference between sports teams is that generally their game day comes once a week, whereas in newborn resuscitation every day is potentially "game day." In this review we aim to summarize the current evidence on the use of simulation based education and training in neonatal resuscitation, with particular emphasis on the evidence supporting its effectiveness. We will also highlight recent advances in the development of simulation based medical education in the context of newborn resuscitation to ensure we "train to win."

Digital Simulation Improves, Maintains, and Helps Transfer Health-Care Providers' Neonatal Resuscitation Knowledge

“…Simulation-based education is recommended to address these deficiencies by replicating a real-world clinical situation, while simultaneously maintaining patient safety ( 20 ). Simulation-based education improves HCPs' neonatal resuscitation competence ( 21 ); however, frequent training sessions are needed to retain competence ( 22 ).…”

Utilizing High-fidelity Simulators in Improving Trainee Confidence and Competency in Code Management

“…Interestingly, a consistent finding in literature is that there is a preference for the use of high-fidelity simulation. 24 Perhaps learner preference for being taught using high-fidelity simulation may be a factor in improving performance because of increased engagement in the learning process.…”

Mindset Moderates Healthcare Providers' Longitudinal Performance in a Digital Neonatal Resuscitation Simulator

“…The low occurrence of high-stake neonatal resuscitation situations and the stressful environment in the delivery room are likely to induce human errors, which may cause fatal consequences for newborns ( 8 – 10 ). Hence, frequent simulation-based training is recommended by the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) to refresh neonatal resuscitative knowledge and skills every 2 years ( 11 ).…”