Perinatal emergency multidisciplinary simulation: identifying latent errors and improving communication between teams

Perinatal medicine requires a multidisciplinary approach with teams working in synchrony to achieve optimal outcomes. In the wake of the Ockenden report,¹ a multidisciplinary perinatal simulation programme was designed and introduced at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, aiming to improve teamworking, interdisciplinary communication and ultimately, patient outcomes. The design and implementation of the programme followed by preliminary findings are presented in this article. These include the key learning outcomes, latent errors and the influence on teamworking and current practice.

Catherine Jane Douch
Paediatric Registrar and Teaching Fellow c.douch@nhs.net
Corresponding author - full author details in TABLE 1.

Work attributed to: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Douch C.J., Sein E., Chow L.Y., Bayer A.S., Quiambao A.M., Patel D.S. Perinatal emergency multidisciplinary simulation: identifying latent errors and improving communication between teams Infant 2024;20(1):20-24.

Full text available by subscription ...

The full text of this article is available to subscribers in text, and in Tablet/iPad format and as a PDF file.

Please subscribe and log in to see the full article.

Keywords

simulation; multidisciplinary; perinatal;

Key points

With significant planning it is possible to integrate multidisciplinary perinatal simulation into departmental practice.
This article can act as a guide for departments planning to initiate local multidisciplinary simulation programmes.
Key learning outcomes focused on interdisciplinary teamworking, communication between disciplines, roles and responsibilities and environmental factors.

Also published in Infant:

VOLUME 19 ISSUE 3/MAY 2023

The anatomy of compassion: courage, connection and safeness in perinatal practice

The new NHS England Three Year Delivery Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Services advocates for compassionate care for families and compassionate, psychologically safe workplace cultures for staff. In this article we propose the need for a shared language and understanding of what compassion is, how it works, why it can feel hard and why practising compassion is an act of courage. We aim here to share our understanding of compassionate approaches from using them clinically in our work in maternity, perinatal and neonatal services. We also give some suggestions for growing compassion across the system, both for leaders and systems as well as individuals.