Does completion of the Essential Steps in Managing Obstetric Emergencies (ESMOE) training package result in improved knowledge and skills in managing obstetric emergencies?

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of the Essential Steps in Managing Obstetric Emergencies (ESMOE) training programme on improving knowledge and skills of interns. METHOD: Interns starting their internship in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in May 2008 were asked to participate in the ESMOE training programme at all the sites where facilitators had been trained in ESMOE. At these sites, interns completing their obstetric and gynaecology rotations were asked to undergo an evaluation at the end of April; this group acted as a control group. Interns participating in the ESMOE training had the same evaluation before starting the course in May and at the end of August. OUTCOMES: Scores obtained in knowledge testing by multiple choice questions (MCQ) and skills testing by objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). RESULTS: A total of 68 interns completing their O&G rotation in April wrote the MCQ paper from 8 hospitals. Twenty of them were randomly chosen to do the skills test. This group served as the control for the study group that underwent the training. Seventy-eight of the new group of O&G interns starting in May wrote the MCQ paper as a pre-test, and 21 were randomly chosen to do the skills test. The ESMOE training was then conducted. In August, this group re-wrote the MCQ paper as a post-test, and 24 were randomly selected to do the skills test. The post-test MCQ scores of the study group were significantly higher than their pre-test scores and those of the control group of interns (79 (58 - 93), 75 (48 - 91) and 77 (57 - 86) respectively). Similarly, the post-test OSCE scores of the post-test study group were significantly higher than their pre-test scores and those of the control group of interns (30.75 (25 - 38), 19.75 (8.5 - 27.5) and 24.5 (14.4 - 31) respectively). CONCLUSION: Completion of the ESMOE training package resulted in a significant improvement of interns' knowledge and skills compared with that before the course or with other interns who had already completed their O&G rotation.