Health Care Team Training and Simulation-Based Education in Obstetrics During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Health care team training and simulation-based education are important for preparing obstetrical services to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Priorities for training are identified in two key areas. First, the impact of infection prevention and control protocols on processes of care (e.g., appropriate and correct use of personal protective equipment, patient transport, preparation for emergency cesarean delivery with the potential for emergency intubation, management of simultaneous obstetric emergencies, delivery in alternate locations in the hospital, potential for increased decision-to-delivery intervals, and communication with patients). And second, the effects of COVID-19 pathophysiology on obstetrical patients (e.g., testing and diagnosis, best use of modified obstetric early warning systems, approach to maternal respiratory compromise, collaboration with critical care teams, and potential need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation). However, such training is more challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic because of the requirements for social distancing. This article outlines strategies (spatial, temporal, video-recording, video-conferencing, and virtual) to effectively engage in health care team training and simulation-based education while maintaining social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.