Obstetric training that works

In February 2015, founder of the internationally recognised Practical Obstetric Multi-professional Training (PROMPT) program, Professor Tim Draycott, visited a number of Victorian hospitals that have adopted the simulation training in their maternity units. 

PROMPT puts obstetricians, midwives and anaesthetists to the test using simulated maternity emergency scenarios. Using patient actors and life-like mannequins, teams work together in their hospital’s environment to respond to the emergency. “We’ve found through our research that teamwork is more than knowledge and skills. In fact team work training must be combined with clinical training to be effective,” Professor Draycott said. 

The program encourages staff to declare the emergency and use directed commands to ensure clear communication. To help teams administer treatment faster to the patient, the training also incorporates emergency toolbox equipment with quick reference check-lists and pre-loaded medications. 

A study to evaluate PROMPT’s effectiveness in the eight public hospitals in metropolitan and regional Victoria that implemented the program between 2008 and December 2011 found: 

• Significant increases were found in Safety Attitude Questionnaire scores representing domains of teamwork and perception of management  
• There were significant improvements in Apgar 1, cord lactates and average length of baby's stay in hospital during or after training, but no change in Apgar 5 scores or proportion of cases with high blood loss 
• Overall about 50% of staff were trained in each year of the study. 

Florence Chikwanha, Consultant Anaesthetist, Goulburn Valley Health said “As one of the PROMPT facilitators and a practicing anaesthetist I’ve found that I have developed stronger relationships with other maternity staff and am often stopped in the corridor and asked questions. Something that never happened before the training.”

The program has seen the same positive outcomes in Kansas and Zimbabwe, who have also adopted PROMPT to improve safety for mothers and babies. In Southmead Hospital Bristol, Professor Draycott’s home base, one hundred percent of maternity staff are trained in PROMPT and as a result it is one of the safest places in the world to have a baby. VMIA is committed to encouraging PROMPT implementation across more hospitals in Victoria and nationally to improve patient safety. It has held a number of informative events during Professor Draycott’s tour with the wider insurance industry and health sector.

If you would like to learn more about PROMPT contact us at contact@vmia.vic.gov.au