OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital Trains With Simulation Technology to Save Lives

OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital is helping to turn simulation technology into life-saving practices – training staff on a variety of emergencies to prepare for real-life situations. In August, Mansfield Hospital staff participated in a highly realistic obstetrics trauma drill. These drills happen throughout the year without prior notice, so staff members can react similarly to a real-life situation.

“In this scenario, the mom comes in without a heart rate, and the goal is to try and save both her and the baby,” Dr. Alexander Chapman, critical care surgeon at Mansfield Hospital, told Richland Source reporter Hannah Martin.

To create the same intense environment of a real trauma case involving a pregnant patient, the drill involved EMS, the emergency department, the operating room, labor and delivery, obstetrics, trauma, hospitalists, nurses, advanced practice providers and lab and respiratory care.

“There are a lot of players, especially when you’ve got a pregnant trauma patient, but a lot of people need to be in the room and then there are a lot of people that come to offer help, hopefully in any way they can,” Dr. Chapman said. According to Dr. Chapman, these drills help to ensure the entire team is involved – helping workers to be as efficient and thorough as possible. The simulation mannequins used in these drills are extremely realistic. They’re life-like functions can help prepare staff in various ways and guide them on what they can do to provide better care.

“The mannequin has a pulse, it can respond, it has a baby inside of it, it has the ability to do procedures, place lines, place chest tubes, and then that’s all managed from a computer program that the simulation folks are running,” Dr. Chapman said.

While all necessary staff are involved in the drill, some people watch to get insight from an outside perspective. After the simulation, everyone then meets to discuss what they can do differently to improve. Dr. Chapman said that they try to hold various simulations throughout the year to give all staff members extensive experience in different situations.

“We want everyone to always be here ready to go for something like this, and that is why we have these simulations so that we can be prepared as quickly as possible, to give folks the best care possible,” Dr. Chapman said.