Low-Cost Simulation to Teach Anesthetists' Non-Technical Skills in Rwanda

Background: Safe anesthesia care is challenging in developing countries where there are shortages of personnel, drugs, equipment, and training. Anesthetists' Non-technical Skills (ANTS) - task management, team working, situation awareness, and decision making - are difficult to practice well in this context. Cesarean delivery is the most common surgical procedure in inf-Saharan Africa. This pilot study investigates whether a low-cost simulation model, with good psychological fidelity, can be used effectively to teach ANTS during cesarean delivery in Rwanda. Methods: Study participants were anesthesia providers working in a tertiary referral hospital in Rwanda. Baseline observations were conducted for 20 anesthesia providers during cesarean delivery using the established ANTS framework. After the first observation set was complete, participants were randomly assigned to either simulation intervention or control groups. The simulation intervention group underwent ANTS training using low-cost high psychological fidelity simulation with debriefing. No training was offered to the control group. Postintervention observations were then conducted in the same manner as the baseline observations. RESULTS: The primary outcome was the overall ANTS score (maximum, 16). The median (range) ANTS score of the simulation group was 13.5 (11-16). The ANTS score of the control group was 8 (8-9), with a statistically significant difference (P =.002). Simulation participants showed statistically significant improvement in infcategories and in the overall ANTS score compared with ANTS score before simulation exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Rwandan anesthesia providers show improvement in ANTS practice during cesarean delivery after 1 teaching session using a low-cost high psychological fidelity simulation model with debriefing.