Use of a Sepsis Simulation to Teach Undergraduate Nursing Students About Maternal Mortality

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to illuminate the importance of vigilant postpartum care in reducing maternal morbidity and mortality related to sepsis through the implementation of a simulation-based learning experience. Nursing schools should implement a simulation-based learning experience aimed at reducing maternal morbidity and mortality related to sepsis. The simulation was implemented during the senior medical–surgical critical care course. Groups consisted of 8–10 student participants. A high-fidelity birthing mannequin was used to simulate the patient, and a detailed scenario was presented to the students. Debrief and discussion were provided after the simulation. The Simulation Effectiveness Tool—Modified (SET–M), which is a standardized instrument, was used to assess the simulation effectiveness. The tool asks participants to rate their experience using strongly agree, somewhat agree, or do not agree on questions pertaining to the prebriefing, the scenario, and the debriefing. Of the 95 respondents, 88 (93%) strongly agreed that prebriefing was beneficial to [their] learning; 90 (95%) strongly agreed that [they are] better prepared to respond to changes in [their] patient’s condition; 88 (93%) strongly agreed that [they are] more confident in using evidence-based practice to provide nursing care; and 92 (97%) strongly agreed that debriefing was a constructive evaluation of the simulation and that it contributed to [their] learning. The normal physiologic changes during pregnancy and after birth, along with the complex clinical features associated with maternal sepsis, make maternal sepsis a well-suited clinical scenario for clinical simulation, both within nursing schools and for experienced nurses. Nurses spend more time with laboring and postpartum patients than any other health care provider in the hospital setting, which makes them uniquely poised to identify and treat the early signs and symptoms of sepsis; the ability to do so may lead to decreased maternal morbidity and mortality.