Improving reproductive health skills through simulation: a call for innovations

Abstract

Simulation is the process by which a procedure or process is mimicked with artificial objects for the purpose of learning a skill set in the laboratory before transferring the skills to real-life situations. Worries, by church, state and medical practitioners, of the unduly high levels of maternal and neonatal mortality in 18th century Europe led to training programmes: the family name Grégoire became associated with manikins as developed by father and son, both surgeon-accoucheurs in Paris where Madame Coudray trained birth attendants1,2. However, it was not until 2003 that philosopher Nick Bostrom introduced his famous “simulation theory”3 that posited that “we are all living inside an artificial situation”. The global acceptance of this theory has propelled the use of simulation in multiple fields, and it seems that medical practice may be one of a few fields of learning not routinely using simulation before trainees are exposed to actual clinical practice.