Enhancing Episiotomy Skills Through Interactive Online Simulation
1Midwifery Department, Health Science Faculty, Kutahya Health Science University, 43700 Kütahya, Türkiye.
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 26, 2025
Summary
Online simulation training boosted midwifery students' episiotomy repair skills and confidence, especially when clinical practice was limited during the COVID-19 pandemic. This method enhances both theoretical knowledge and practical competencies effectively.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Midwifery Training
- Simulation-Based Learning
Background:
- COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional midwifery clinical training.
- Need for alternative methods to develop essential clinical skills.
- Online simulation emerged as a viable solution for skill acquisition.
Purpose of the Study:
- Evaluate the impact of online simulation-based episiotomy repair training.
- Assess effects on midwifery students with limited clinical practice.
- Measure improvements in self-confidence and clinical performance.
Main Methods:
- Mixed-method approach with 61 midwifery students.
- Data collection via observational questionnaires (online learning readiness, satisfaction, self-confidence).
- Statistical analysis including descriptive statistics, McNemar's, logistic regression, and Mann-Whitney U test.
Main Results:
- Students confident in episiotomy repair showed greater readiness for online learning.
- Better training performance correlated with higher scores on the Clinical Practice module exam.
- Performance in simulation was a significant predictor of achieving full marks.
Conclusions:
- Interactive online simulation training enhances midwifery students' hand skills and self-confidence.
- This training modality is effective in overcoming limitations posed by pandemics like COVID-19.
- Promoting online simulation is recommended for future midwifery education.
