Qualitative Assessment of a High-Fidelity Mobile Simulator for Intrauterine Contraception [101

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Our goal was to evaluate the comfort, competence, and value of using the ARMS PelvicSim, a high-fidelity mobile training model for insertion of intrauterine contraception, to train clinicians in intrauterine contraception provision. METHODS: Clinicians at ambulatory reproductive health care clinics participated in the PelvicSim training and completed a self-administered survey from January to July 2014. The survey assessed experience with levonorgestrel (LNG) and copper intrauterine contraception insertion, pretraining and posttraining competence and comfort inserting intrauterine contraception, and opinions regarding the value of the PelvicSim. RESULTS: The 140 respondents were primarily female (95.7%) and nurse practitioners (65.5%). Nearly half had inserted more than 50 LNG20 devices (46.4%) or copper t380A devices (48.3%), although 98.3% had never inserted the LNG14 device. For these devices, participants reported feeling more independently competent after training. We observed the largest influence on the LNG14; the proportion of participants who felt independently competent pretraining and posttraining increased significantly from 19.2% to 50.0% (P<.001). The majority of participants reported increased comfort with minimizing patient pain (76.7%) and inserting intrauterine contraception in a live patient (69.0%). Among respondents, 89.6% reported the PelvicSim intrauterine contraception insertion activities to be “valuable” or “very valuable.” All participants would recommend the PelvicSim for intrauterine contraception training, and nearly all (95.6%) reported that the PelvicSim was a better method to teach intrauterine contraception insertion than the manufacturers' models. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATION: Clinicians reported increased competence and comfort regarding intrauterine contraception insertion after PelvicSim training. The PelvicSim was acceptable as an intrauterine contraception training tool, and nearly all participants found it superior to the manufacturers' models.