gms | German Medical Science

Background: Every year in Germany around 59,000 children are born prematurely. Preterm birth is one of the most frequent causes of death in infancy. Regarding survival rates of preterm infants, interprofessional collaboration of the professional groups involved in preterm care plays a central role. Simulation-based emergency training for health professionals in the clinical setting offers great potential to improve the care of preterm infants. The implementation of interprofessional preterm infant simulation training in midwifery education can establish an important basis for this. Till date, there is little scientific evidence on the use of preterm infant simulation in midwifery education.

Aim/Research question: Exploration of subjective views of experts on the topic of preterm infant simulation considering the questions:

1.

How do experienced simulation trainers design and experience the implementation of interprofessional emergency training in preterm infant care? and

2.

Which aspects are essential from the perspective of experts regarding the implementation of interprofessional preterm infant simulation trainings in the context of the university education of midwives?

The master thesis aims to contribute to the concept for an interprofessional preterm infant simulation training at the Hochschule für Gesundheit in Bochum in the study program of midwifery.

Methods: Within the framework of qualitative research, ten guided interviews were conducted online with trainers from simulation centers and clinics in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed with the support of the MAXQDA software using content analysis according to Mayring. The research project was approved by the ethics committee of the Hochschule für Gesundheit Bochum.

Results: Interprofessional emergency training in preterm infant care takes place in various constellations, although midwives have so far been involved rather rarely. From the interviewees’ point of view, midwives play a significant role in the care of preterm infants and represent an important resource in the interprofessional team. Interprofessional emergency training should connect to the students’ level of knowledge and include sequences of intradisciplinary learning in the initial phase. The experts consider skills training for the initial care of the preterm infant as well as the acquisition of soft skills to be important topics in the context of simulation training of students. In the opinion of the interviewees, the open-mindedness of students towards alternative learning methods is beneficial to the implementation of simulation training for premature infants.

Relevance: The results underline the importance of designing and implementing interprofessional emergency training in the context of preterm infant care in the university-based study of midwifery. Interprofessional preterm infant simulation trainings can prepare students for rare, critical events in their daily work.

Conclusion: The interprofessional practice of preterm birth simulation as part of midwifery education can contribute to improving the outcome of preterm infants, their mothers and their families.

Ethics and conflicts of interest: A vote on ethics was obtained. The research was financed by own resources. There are no conflicts of interest.