OSF HealthCare has added a new member to its OB-GYN training team.
“Victoria” is a high-tech birthing simulator that can replicate a variety of birth emergencies, including rare, high-risk complications. An addition to the mobile maternity care unit, “Victoria” provides advanced practice providers [APPs] with the skillset to effectively prepare for any situation they come across on the road.
Simulation Specialist Jacob Wilson said "Victoria" prepares health care providers for a range of rare complications related to labor and delivery.
“After childbirth, if there is uncontrolled bleeding [or] maternal hemorrhage, 'Victoria' is capable of providing training for that,” Wilson said. "As well as maternal hypertension, high blood pressure related to pregnancy—we can use her for that.”
“Victoria” is not the first simulation model OSF has used, but she is the first designed to travel alongside the staff.
“I feel like we're able to provide a lot more training opportunities to places we previously couldn't go to because our previous manikin can require some different connections and being kind of locked into certain locations,” Wilson said.
Maternity health care deserts are counties without obstetric care or providers. This lack of resources creates geographical and financial barriers that can lead to higher-risk pregnancies.
In Illinois, 34.3% of counties are considered maternity healthcare deserts.
OSF received a $1.5 million grant back in July that led to the creation of the OSF OnCall pregnancy and postpartum van which connects patients to nearby providers and, in some cases, brings the care to them.
The mobility and versatility of “Victoria” also contributes to this mission.
“They are gearing up towards those underserved areas and being able to use our manikin in the van to provide realistic scenarios for those providers to train for when they are out in those environments,” Wilson said. “It really just helps them prepare and improve the type of care that we're providing for our patients in those areas.”
The van currently serves 12 Central Illinois counties considered maternal care deserts, including Peoria, Woodford, Livingston and Tazewell Counties.
“We can also do childbirth simulations with her, either a vaginal childbirth, or we can do C-sections on her as well as breach deliveries and ultrasound,” Wilson said. “She also has a feature where we can have the baby positioned incorrectly, and the provider can manipulate the baby in her abdomen to get it into the correct position for childbirth.”
The complications “Victoria” can replicate cover a wide base of potential emergencies, but they all serve a common purpose: keeping the staff prepared for every possibility.
“It's always best to prepare for the worst-case scenario,” Wilson said. “Having a manikin such as 'Victoria,' that's a high-fidelity manikin with all these different features and functionality, just really provides us with ample training opportunities.”
