Abstract overview:
As a central part of maternity care midwives can be in a first responder role, as well as part of the multidisciplinary team for maternal and neonatal resuscitation. Therefore the formation of an essential life support course tailored for midwives is a priority to the running and safety of the hospital. Maternal resuscitation is a rare, life threatening event, the incidence of which has been reported to be on the increase. Fortunately, with a timely and appropriate response, survival rates of over 50% have been recorded. Adaptations to basic life support for pregnant women at or beyond 20 weeks gestation will greatly impact survival rates. The formation and implementation of this course has not just allowed for a course tailored to midwives’ educational needs but further allowed them to extend their role as trainers in the course as part of a multidisciplinary team providing education for their colleagues and a team building opportunity, allowing midwives to approach such emergencies in a timely and evidence- based manner.

Aims and objectives:
To create a life support course catered for midwives and other health care professionals involved in maternity care. To train midwives as trainers for the obstetric element of this course. To make the course available to all midwives.

Methods:
The essential life support in obstetrics course addresses the anatomical and physiological changes of pregnancy impacting resuscitation, resuscitative hysterotomy and neonatal resuscitation. Therefore equipping midwives with the knowledge, skill and practice through an interactive simulation based course.

Results:
The essential life support in obstetric course has been piloted, with positive feedback from participants. The train the trainer course consisting of 13 midwives was also well received. The next step of this project will be the roll out of this course to the midwives working across the department of obstetrics at Mater Dei hospital. Furthermore, the multidisciplinary approach allowed for continued learning and better insights of all professionals involved in the training.

Conclusion:
The obstetric department of any tertiary hospital has its own unique needs and required skills in relation to basic life support. Midwives need to be well equipped in resuscitation of the non-gravid adult, the pregnant woman beyond 20weeks gestation and the neonate. The multidisciplinary approach at Mater Dei Hospital led to the creation of a course that is organised and facilitated by nurses and midwives to address the above needs. The essential life support in obstetrics course has been well received by the midwives who have attended and the midwives who have trained as trainers for this course.