BIRTHING emergencies were in focus at Cohuna District Hospital recently, when staff undertook training in a day-long workshop.
Nurses and doctors from Cohuna and Echuca attended, and Cohuna midwife and lead trainer Rachel Jenkinson shared her own training from the Practical Obstetric Multi-Professional Training course.
Ms Jenkinson instructed the group on various emergency scenarios which could occur during pregnancy.
She said that the current arrangement, where complicated births are transferred to Echuca Regional Health, will remain in place, but staff at Cohuna still need to know how to stabilise mother and baby before transferring them.
“We don’t get a lot of obstetrics emergencies so when we do, we want to know what we’re doing,” Ms Jenkinson said.
The training covered theory and practical simulation training on managing emergencies, with nurses and doctors delivering a baby through a plastic model, playing out breach and hemorrhage scenarios, as well as other conditions like eclampsia.
Cohuna District Hospital director of clinical services Lynne Sinclair said the use of simulation equipment made the workshop as life-like as could be.
“We’re replicating what to do in a real emergency, such as a hemorrhage, using props,” she said.
The training was supported with assistance from Echuca Regional Health.
“We’re working with Echuca – they are our PROMPT hub – and [ERH GP Obstetrician] Jerry Wong assisted on the day,” Ms Jenkinson said.
The training day was the first of its kind and will now take place every three months.
It comes after the recommendations from a Safer Care Victoria review were released, with the review beginning late last year after birthing services were temporarily suspended after safety concerns were raised regarding the hospital’s capacity to deliver births due to staffing shortfalls.
The hospital has accepted all of the recommendations, which include the multi-disciplinary emergency training, as well as an after-hours birthing roster with extra specialist staff.
