The Effect of Episiotomy Repair Simulation on the Anxiety and Self-Efficacy levels of Midwifery Students

The prevalence of episiotomy varies significantly between countries (9%-100%). During simulation-based training, the use of materials which are considerably similar to human tissues is critical for the long-term success of training while performing episiotomy on laboring women. This study was performed to determine the effects of episiotomy repair simulation on the anxiety and self-efficacy levels of midwifery students.

This one-group, quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design was conducted at the Midwifery Department of a State University in Turkey between March and April 2017. The participants included 73 junior students, who trained during March-April 2017 on the beef tongue model for episiotomy repair, following participation in a lecture in the classroom environment which included theoretical information about episiotomy. The data were collected using a student demographic questionnaire, the state anxiety inventory and the general self-efficacy scale. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS software (version 22.0) through McNemar’s and Wilcoxon test.

There was a significant difference before and after the simulation process regarding the state anxiety scores (39 vs 43, P<0.000). Moreover, a significant difference was observed before and after the simulation in terms of the general self-efficacy scores (76 vs 67, P<0.000). In other words, the students' anxiety levels decreased followed by increasing levels of self-efficacy after simulation (P<0.05).

A beef tongue episiotomy repair simulation training and application reduced the anxiety and increased the self-efficacy levels of the students. In light of these results, it is recommended to include the beef tongue episiotomy repair simulation into the pre-clinical practice in the midwifery curriculum.