A prospective study into the benefits of simulation training in teaching obstetric vaginal examination

To assess the benefits of incorporating simulations in obstetric vaginal-examination training.

A single-center, randomized, prospective study was conducted in a French University Hospital. Medical students without obstetric experience were assigned, by simple random sampling, to perform either 10 or 30 vaginal-examination training procedures using a simulator. A control group of students that had not performed any simulator training procedures was also enrolled. Medical students performed six vaginal examinations on patients who were in labor. The students reported the findings of the examinations in terms of five items (cervical length, position, consistency, dilation, and fetal presentation). The students' findings were then compared with those of experienced midwives (whose answers were considered to be the gold standard) who examined the same patients.

A total of 66 students were included in the analyses. Students who had performed 10 simulated procedures demonstrated significantly greater accuracy in vaginal examination assessments in comparison with the control group (P<0.001). No significant difference was observed between the results for students that had performed 10 or 30 simulated procedures (P=0.44).

Simulation training assisted novice students in improving their vaginal-examination skills before performing such procedures on real patients. Vaginal-examination simulations should be included in the training curriculum for students who will examine pregnant patients.