International Journal of Healthcare Simulation

Background:

The COVID-19 pandemic presented healthcare workers with a challenge to provide safe clinical care while protecting staff and coping with an evolving situation. The use of simulation to devise and test emergency pathways is well recognized in the literature ^[1]. However, this pandemic presented the world with a very tight timeline to deliver, let alone test potential pathways. This was further complicated in maternity units where workload remained the same during the preparatory phase.

Aim:

Recognizing the need to develop a safe pathway, with a limited evidence base, we sought to test the hypothesis that a combination of table-top and in situ simulation could be used to devise a protocol and train teams in a tertiary maternity unit during the first phase of the pandemic.

Methods:

This programme involved three phases: pathway development, safety testing and team training. The initial phase was a simulated table-top scenario of a parturient requiring a Category 1 Caesarean delivery under general anaesthetic. This pathway was then used to create a structured simulation scenario to test its suitability. The debrief sessions for each explored three themes: (1) pathway feasibility; (2) timing and (3) feedback.

Results:

The table-top simulation took place on 11 March. Team-specific outcomes highlighted the logistics of early senior escalation and the rationalization of staff and equipment in theatre. We also recognized deficits in the amount and correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Staffing levels and limitations in communication were also key findings. The subsequent in situ simulation took place 2 days later. The baby was delivered within the 30-min guideline (28 min) and overall, the pathway was safe to use. It was then modified and used to train teams over the subsequent weeks, reaching 151 staff. Feedback from candidates was powerful: ‘I feel safer coming to work’.

Implications for practice:

The initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic provided a fertile ground for team consolidation and planning that promoted collaboration in one of the most multi-professional areas of any hospital: the maternity unit. Involvement of all teams meant that deficits in training could be identified early, and changes could be adapted rapidly. The simulations also demonstrated to staff that it was possible to safely deliver a baby within the timeframe. Recognizing that this was not an isolated problem, we shared our resources publicly helping teams in the USA, Laos, Australia and UK to develop their own protocols. Importantly, it improved our response to the second wave.