5-Minute Consult

Lee Norman, MD, MHS, MBA
Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
University of Kansas Hospital
Kansas City, KS

University of Kansas is the first U.S. hospital to adopt PROMPT, a multiprofessional training program developed in Great Britain that uses hands-on training methods and lifelike mannequins to teach clinicians and hospital employees how to respond to rare obstetric emergencies, says Norman.

Norman: Not only does the PROMPT program provide didactic content, but it has simulations that allow you to practice.Everybody is taught this—physicians, nurses, and ward clerks. People who are traditionally taught within their own disciplines are brought together as a team. You never know who is going to be right there in one of these catastrophic events.

We do this training initially when someone new comes to us, and we do it every year to renew their skill. There is really no drawback except a devotion of time to do it. That is how you put your money where your mouth is—free up people to take the time necessary to teach and learn. When a difficult situation comes along, it's good to have a standard language, definition, and approach. It's traditional in medicine to be taught how to be a standalone individual. It has taken a really conscious effort to train physicians how to be a good member of the team.

—Carrie Vaughan