Impact of Mental Training on the Stress of Anaesthesiology Residents Before Performing Obstetrical Epidural Analgesia

NCT07183618 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: E2024-05
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 32
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Anaesthetists are trained from the beginning of their residency to perform high-risk procedures, often in high-stress environments, that can adversely affect both their technical and non-technical performance. Effective stress management is therefore essential, particularly before executing technical procedures. Recently, mental training has been introduced in the education of surgical residents to enhance performance under pressure. This study aimed to assess, using simulation, the impact of mental preparation on stress levels among anaesthesia residents before performing obstetric epidural analgesia.

Conditions

Medical Education; Resident Education; Anesthesia; Epidural Analgesia, Obstetric

Keywords

anesthesia residency; mental training; obstetrical epidural anesthesia; medical education

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Comparison of the stress levels before and after performing obstetric epidural anaesthesia between residents who received mental preparation and those who did not.

  Thestress level was evaluated using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory 6 (STAI-6) score

  Immediately after the simulation

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Technical performance evaluation

  During the simulation

• Non-technical skills evaluation

  During the simulation

• Mental imagery abilities evaluation

  Immediatly after the simulation

• Residents' satisfaction score

  Immediatly after the simulation

Study Arms (2)

Control group (no mental training)

NO INTERVENTION

Residents in the control group did not undergo any mental training prior to performing epidural placement.

Mental training group

EXPERIMENTAL

Mental Training Group: Residents in the "Mental Training" group received a mental preparation session led by an anaesthesia physician qualified in medical pedagogy. Inspired by the "Breathe, Talk, See, Focus" procedure

Procedure: Mental training group

Interventions

Mental training group PROCEDURE

Mental Training Group: Residents in the "Mental Training" group received a mental preparation session led by an anaesthesia physician qualified in medical pedagogy. Inspired by the "Breathe, Talk, See, Focus" procedure

Mental training group

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University Hospital, Rouen: lead

Study Sites (1)

Rouen University Hospital

Rouen, Normandy, 76000, France

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Fluteau L, Bourdon-Castel S, Kallout J, Lefevre-Scelles A, Sibert L, Besnier E, Clavier T, Compere V, Selim J. Impact of Mental Training on the stress of anaesthesiology residents before performing obstetrical epidural analgesia: a prospective randomised educational trial. Anaesth Crit Care Pain Med. 2025 Nov 15:101675. doi: 10.1016/j.accpm.2025.101675. Online ahead of print.

  PMID: 41248877 DERIVED

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Model Details: Residents were randomly assigned to either a "Control" group or a "Mental Training" group, the latter undergoing a mental preparation session before performing lumbar epidural anaesthesia. Randomisation was performed in blocks of eight by an external party and stratified by training year (second or third) and gender. Residents were informed they would be participating in a training session involving anaesthetic practice on a low-fidelity simulator. On the day of the simulation, residents were individually welcomed in a briefing room by an anaesthetist specialised in mental preparation. Group assignment was revealed from a sealed envelope and residents were informed that the simulation would involve acting as the on-call anaesthesia resident in a maternity ward. The scenario began with a call from a midwife requesting an epidural placement for a laboring patient. Depending on their assigned group, residents either received a mental preparation session or proceeded without it.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 12, 2025
• First Posted: September 19, 2025
• Study Start: February 7, 2024
• Primary Completion: February 28, 2024
• Study Completion: February 28, 2024
• Last Updated: September 19, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

FR (1)