Role of Simulation based teaching in Management of Postpartum Hemorrhage amongst Postgraduate Students of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology: A Prospective Study

Background: Simulation teaching means recreating clinical scenario for training / evaluation. Aim: To expose postgraduates to simulation / didactic lecture for postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) management; to assess which method was more effective. Methods: Present prospective study was conducted in Obstetrics Gynecology department of rural tertiary center of Northern India. Twenty postgraduates were randomly divided into two groups for simulation teaching / didactic lecture on PPH management. Analytic Data included pre and post lecture multiple choice questionnaire (MCQ), post-lecture Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) assessment. Finally, feedback survey of students was conducted to assess perceptions about two modalities of teaching. Results: Both groups showed no difference in pre-lecture MCQ results. Comparison of DOPS performance showed significant difference (p=0.0026) between two groups with mean marks 5.10 ± 1.10 in Group 1, 3.40 ± 0.84 in Group 2. Significant improvement was observed in post-lecture compared to pre-lecture marks in both groups (mean difference- Group 1: 7.60 ± 1.26, Group 2: 4.20 ±1.01), with greater improvement among simulation group. Students rated simulation better with regard to interest (70%), enjoyment (75%), topic (70%), understanding (80%), posing questions (75%). Conclusions: Simulation teaching was more effective in imparting skills for PPH management compared to didactic lecture.