Obstetric Anaesthesia Annual Scientific Meeting 2026

•Poor communication is frequently a root cause of clinician error and subsequent patient harm.

•Current communication training models may not result in staff reaching high quality standards of performance.

•Proficiency based training (PBT) involves characterisation of a task into a series of steps and errors defining optimal performance (a task metric) which can be used to objectively assess task performance.

•The benefits of PBT are well established in technical skills training[1], but less so in the area regarding non-technical skills[2].

•Develop and validate a multidisciplinary communication tool using the ISBAR framework to support communication training using a PBT approach.

•Task analysis was undertaken by a multidisciplinary expert panel.

•A transactional model of communication was applied to the task of communicating need for Lucas category two and three unscheduled caesarean birth.

•Draft metrics for sender and recipient roles were developed and refined through a 3-round modified Delphi process.

•A correlational study was conducted to assess rater accuracy and inter-rater reliability for each metric item.

•Scripted interdisciplinary handovers based on simulated cases were recorded and reviewed by independent raters.

•Levels of agreement and intra-class corelation coefficients were calculated.

•Task metrics were subsequently updated based on findings from the correlational study.

Paired task metrics were produced describing communication around unscheduled caesarean birth.

When used in tandem, they formed a comprehensive and concise handover of case details deeme relevant across nursing, midwifery, obstetrics and anaesthesiology.

The Delphi process ensured consideration of a broad variety of professional viewpoints with respect to care of the pregnant person.

Consensus was achieved rapidly, indicating that there is a set of core information points which are relevant across professional silos.

The correlational study allowed us to examine which items examiners have difficulty assessing, allowing us to further streamline the task metrics and make rational decisions about scoring systems.

Educational interventions for healthcare professionals are common in the literature but often lack strong grounding in evidence. There are financial and non-monetary costs associated with training in healthcare.

We have a responsibility to payers, patients and healthcare professionals to choose interventions which are well designed and aligned well with clinical need.

1. Mazzone E, Puliatti S, Amato M et al. (2021) A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis on the Impact of Proficiency-based Progression Simulation Training on Performance Outcomes. Ann Surg 274:281-289. https://doi.org/10.1097/sla.0000000000004650

2. Breen D, O'Brien S, McCarthy N et al. (2019) Effect of a proficiency-based progression simulation programme on clinical communication for the deteriorating patient: a randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open 9:e025992. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025992

Obstetric Anaesthesia Annual Scientific Meeting 2026

Development and validation of a performance metric for interdisciplinary communication around unscheduled caesarean birth.

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