Cardiotocography interpretation skills and the association with size of maternity unit, years of obstetric work experience and healthcare professional background: a national cross-sectional study

TY - JOUR

T1 - Cardiotocography interpretation skills and the association with size of maternity unit, years of obstetric work experience and healthcare professional background

T2 - a national cross-sectional study

AU - Thellesen, Line

AU - Sorensen, Jette Led

AU - Hedegaard, Morten

AU - Rosthoej, Susanne

AU - Colov, Nina Sigyn Palmgren

AU - Andersen, Kristine Sylvan

AU - Bergholt, Thomas

N1 - This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PY - 2017/9

Y1 - 2017/9

N2 - Introduction: We aimed to examine whether cardiotocography (CTG) knowledge, interpretation skills and decision-making measured by a written assessment were associated with size of maternity unit, years of obstetric work experience and healthcare professional background. Material and methods: A national cross-sectional study in the setting of a CTG teaching intervention involving all 24 maternity units in Denmark. Participants were midwives (n = 1260) and specialists (n = 269) and residents (n = 142) in obstetrics and gynecology who attended a 1-day CTG course and answered a 30-item multiple-choice question test. Associations between mean test score and work conditions were analyzed using multivariable robust regression, in which the three variables were mutually adjusted. Results: Participants from units with > 3000 deliveries/year scored higher on the test than participants from units with < 1000 deliveries/year (3000–3999 deliveries/year: mean difference 0.8, p < 0.0001; > 4000 deliveries/year: mean difference 0.5, p = 0.006). Participants with < 15 years of work experience scored higher than participants with > 15 years of experience (15–20 years of experience: mean difference − 0.6, p = 0.007; > 20 years experience: mean difference − 0.9, p < 0.0001). No differences were detected concerning professional background. Conclusions: CTG knowledge, interpretation skills and decision-making measured by a written assessment were positively associated with working in large maternity units and having < 15 years of obstetric work experience. This might indicate a challenge in maintaining CTG skills in small units and among experienced staff but could also reflect different levels of motivation, test familiarity and learning culture. Whether the findings are transferable to the clinical setting was not examined.

AB - Introduction: We aimed to examine whether cardiotocography (CTG) knowledge, interpretation skills and decision-making measured by a written assessment were associated with size of maternity unit, years of obstetric work experience and healthcare professional background. Material and methods: A national cross-sectional study in the setting of a CTG teaching intervention involving all 24 maternity units in Denmark. Participants were midwives (n = 1260) and specialists (n = 269) and residents (n = 142) in obstetrics and gynecology who attended a 1-day CTG course and answered a 30-item multiple-choice question test. Associations between mean test score and work conditions were analyzed using multivariable robust regression, in which the three variables were mutually adjusted. Results: Participants from units with > 3000 deliveries/year scored higher on the test than participants from units with < 1000 deliveries/year (3000–3999 deliveries/year: mean difference 0.8, p < 0.0001; > 4000 deliveries/year: mean difference 0.5, p = 0.006). Participants with < 15 years of work experience scored higher than participants with > 15 years of experience (15–20 years of experience: mean difference − 0.6, p = 0.007; > 20 years experience: mean difference − 0.9, p < 0.0001). No differences were detected concerning professional background. Conclusions: CTG knowledge, interpretation skills and decision-making measured by a written assessment were positively associated with working in large maternity units and having < 15 years of obstetric work experience. This might indicate a challenge in maintaining CTG skills in small units and among experienced staff but could also reflect different levels of motivation, test familiarity and learning culture. Whether the findings are transferable to the clinical setting was not examined.

KW - Journal Article

U2 - 10.1111/aogs.13171

DO - 10.1111/aogs.13171

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 28524258

SN - 0001-6349

VL - 96

SP - 1075

EP - 1083

JO - Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica

JF - Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica

IS - 9

ER -