Two Unique Patients Means Double the Need for Simulation

Women in the United States are more likely to die during childbirth or from pregnancy-related causes than women in any other developed country.¹In fact, 700 women die each year in the U.S. as a result of pregnancy and delivery complications.²和，over 60% of these deaths are preventable.³

导致新母亲死亡的最常见因素是：⁴

• Patient/family factors (e.g. lack of knowledge about warning signs)
• Provider factors (e.g. misdiagnosis and ineffective treatments)
• System of care factors (e.g. lack of coordination between providers)

同样，就像女性的年龄和生活方式可能会影响她怀孕和健康怀孕的能力一样，他们也可以影响分娩的顺利。例如，即使吸烟总体上有所减少，美国每14名妇女中只有1人在怀孕期间仍吸烟。⁵This can lead to birth defects, and can cause a baby to be born too early or to have a low birth weight – all of which put the mother and baby at risk.缺乏适当的产前护理最终会加剧高危妊娠，并使两名患者在分娩过程中易受伤害。

在美国，大约25％的妇女在头三个月没有接受任何产前护理。⁶When a woman begins to receive prenatal care is largely affected by her race, ethnicity, economic status, and level of maternal education.⁷This delay or altogether lack of prenatal care can directly translate into a need for emergency care.

Simulation training can better prepare healthcare professionals to react if and when an obstetric emergency occurs.⁸One study found that simulation-based training for eclampsia management improved knowledge, performance, and confidence levels.⁹This type of training can be particularly beneficial for obstetricians and labor and delivery nurses to fine-tune their teamwork skills in an emergency. A separate study found that跨学科团队成员的仿真培训改善了团队间的沟通以及在实际交付期间与家人的沟通.¹⁰

Training for a delivery is essential for a team of healthcare professionals because, unlike other medical arenas, there are two (or sometimes more) patients to monitor closely and simultaneously. Any decline in the mother’s health will impact the baby – and vice versa. Simulation can help to prepare learners to manage a safe delivery and reduce the risk of maternal and infant mortality.

Read thenext article in this seriesto learn how certain risk factors can also play into post-natal simulation scenarios.