Transforming Postpartum Care: The Efficacy of Simulation Training in Hemorrhage Management Among Nurses

Background/Objectives: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the most prevalent complication of childbirth and the most preventable cause of maternal mortality worldwide. Maternity nurses and midwives are often the first-line providers responding to PPH. As a result, maternity nurses have the potential to save the lives of women who are clinically deteriorating because of PPH. Simulation-based training is an effective way to develop maternity nurses' knowledge, skills, and experience to save a woman's life after PPH. Aim: to investigate the effect of simulation-based training on nurses' knowledge and performance about primary postpartum hemorrhage management. Design: an experimental design (pre-test/post-test control group). Setting: the study was conducted in the labor and delivery room at KAUH in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Sample: A convenient sample of 54 nurses and midwives who were working in the labor and delivery room and the postnatal unit was randomly divided into two equal groups, the control group and study group. Tools: A structured tool was used for data collection and consisted of four parts: I-sociodemographic data, II-assessment of nurse's/midwives' knowledge about prevention and management of primary PPH, III-nurse's/midwives' performance observational checklist for primary PPH management, and IV-nurse's/midwife's satisfaction of the simulation-based training session. Results: The study group had a significantly higher knowledge level immediately after training (X² = 9.39, p = 0.002) and one month after training (X² = 5.51, p = 0.02). Regarding the performance level and total practice level immediately after the intervention, the study group had statistically significantly better practices (X² = 50.143, p = 0.000 *) and this continued one month later (X² = 50.143, p = 0.000 *). Conclusions: The nurses' knowledge and performance skills related to primary postpartum hemorrhage care improved after receiving simulation-based training. We recommend that all the maternity nurses and midwives participate in an ongoing in-service simulation training program to enable nurses to demonstrate an active role in PPH prevention and management.