Knowledge assessment of shoulder dystocia management by Spanish professionals

Abstract

Background: Shoulder dystocia (SD) training is recommended by diverse international healthcare organizations; however, it is not so in Spain, and there is no specific programmes. The objective of the study was to evaluate the level of knowledge and attitudes towards resolving a SD among a large sample of spanish obstetricians and midwives.

Methods: A multi-professional team carried out simulation-based training courses. Descriptive observational study where mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum or median and interquartile intervals according to the distribution will be used for continuous variables. For the discrete variables, the number and the corresponding percentages will be reported.

Results: Between December 2015 and 2019, the team carried out 17 editions of SD workshop and 904 active professionals were trained in labour wards in different parts of Spain. The results showed that 64.8% of the professionals had learned to solve shoulder dystocia through books and/or 58.4% theoretical classes. 60.4% (380) of the respondents had not received any type of training in simulation in obstetrics. 87.1% (415/476) of the students had not felt prepared to face a SD when they finished the residency At the time of answering this survey, 61.8% (358) did not feel prepared to solve a SD.

Conclusions: Training in Shoulder Dystocia in Spain is mainly theoretical and a high number of professionals recognize that they are not sufficiently prepared to face it with guarantees.