Issue
Eliminating the risk of serious case incidents and deaths in Obstetrics is a primary concern for many NHS trusts in the UK. Our occupational psychologists, HR and IT specialists are working with one NHS Trust’s education and clinical governance teams to evaluate the performance of midwives and doctors in simulated acute clinical situations using a specialist online assessment tool.
Outcome
Our assessment evaluates midwives and doctors in key areas. It measures their communication skills, their decision making and ability to spot risks, their approach to handing over to colleagues and their confidence in escalating issues; in addition to their technical or clinical skills. The assessment process is enabling one leading NHS Trust to transform midwifery and medical training for Obstetric emergencies. For this first time, they were able to see how knowledgeable and confident their teams are when making decisions in emergency situations. They can also identify any critical skills or confidence gaps that can now be addressed using targeted interventions.
Assessment
The assessments worked by asking individuals a series of multiple response questions based on specific scenarios they encounter in their jobs – including emergency situations. Participants were asked to respond and rate how confident they feel about their response. They completed the assessments before and after participating in a multi-disciplinary simulation training programme focusing on the subject of Postpartum Haemorrhage.
MyKnow
Assessments were taken online pre and post training scenarios. Results and analysis were presented via online dashboards – delivered through MyKnow, our People Risk and Competency Management Platform. The dashboards revealed both individual and group-level risks, awareness, knowledge and confidence in each of the areas examined.