gms | German Medical Science

Background: In Central Europe, approximately 6–10% of all newborns are born prematurely before the 37^th week of pregnancy, most of them have a gestational age of 32–36 weeks.

Resuscitation in the sense of respiratory stimulation and mask ventilation are required by less than 10% of all newborns, 0.12% additionally require chest compressions and/or adrenaline administration. Supportive primary care are more often necessary for premature babies. Thermal care and respiratory support are the most important initial actions. To ensure an effortless initial care of premature babies, a trained neonatology team, should be available at birth.

In order to close any gaps in initial care until the arrival of a paediatric team, it is elementary that midwives are also able to act adequately and competently in the emergency care of premature babies. According to the German Midwifery Law (HebG 2019, § 9), midwifery studies should qualify students to perform independent resuscitation measures on newborns in case of an emergency.

Aim/research question: How can a suitable training session look like, by using a high-fidelity simulator, in order to meet the requirement of the German Midwives Act (HebG, 2019) and the German Resuscitation Council (GRC, 2021) for trained personnel for the care of high-risk births and resuscitation measures, especially of premature newborns?

Methods: First of all, the midwifery students learn the required skills and competences of premature infant care in theory modules and specialised practical exercises. For this essential supply, a skills analysis and a stop & go scenario were developed by using the algorithm of the GRC, among others. The implementation of emergency care for premature newborns was done by using a high-fidelity simulator. In the stop & go scenario, didactically oriented interruptions are used to create necessary breaks and thereby give students the opportunity to ask questions, to deepen skills and reflect on their learning content.

Results/relevancy: The stop & go scenario with the use of a high-fidelity simulator has been proven to be a useful training unit, as experience shows that this learning approach is well accepted and appreciated by students and teachers. The created stop & go scenario ensures to a high degree that students can consolidate and develop their knowledge and skills. For this reason, this unit has been firmly anchored in the curriculum of the midwifery programme.

Recommendations/conclusion: The care of premature babies is not part of the everyday clinical learning situations of midwifery students. For midwives, however, adequate action in an emergency situation of “premature baby care” is elementary, since the first minutes are decisive for a successful resuscitation. The integration of the designed training unit in the curriculum of the study programme is important to promote the professional competences of midwifery-students. An evaluation of the training unit is planned.

Ethics and conflicts of interest: A vote on ethics was not necessary. The research was financed by own resources. There are no conflicts of interest.