Use of the Learning Curve-Cumulative Summation Test for Leopold Maneuvers Assessment in a Simulator: A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Clinical Skills Training
• Simulation-Based Learning

Background:

• Medical students require proficiency in performing Leopold maneuvers on pregnant patients.
• Simulation offers a safe environment for practicing clinical skills.
• Learning curves-cumulative summation (LC-CUSUM) can quantify skill acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of LC-CUSUM in determining proficiency in Leopold maneuvers.
• To assess the transferability of skills learned via simulation to clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• Five medical students trained on a pregnancy simulator, performing 50 cases each.
• LC-CUSUM plots generated for each student to track skill acquisition.
• Post-simulation assessment involved performing Leopold maneuvers on 5 pregnant patients.

Main Results:

• Three out of five students achieved proficiency with the simulator, requiring 13, 13, and 37 attempts.
• Proficient students demonstrated 80-100% success rates with patients.
• Students not achieving simulator proficiency had a 60% success rate with patients.

Conclusions:

• Individual learning curves are essential for assessing Leopold maneuver proficiency.
• Competency gained through simulator training is transferable to clinical patient examinations.
• Simulation-based training with LC-CUSUM analysis is a valuable tool for medical education.