The Structured and Standardized EESOA Model

Even today, the teaching of the epidural technique often takes place in the field where the trainee and the teacher face the technique together on the patient, who is used as a learning model. The teaching method is not usually standardized and varies greatly among different university institutes. This chapter presents the standardized, structured method which is the result of the author’s 25 years of practical experience of teaching. More recently, it has been modified with the addition of the simulator, the construction of the epidural model, and the introduction of new methodologies such as CompuFlo and the EMME method. Before being adopted for routine teaching, the model has been validated with a study on trainees. With this structured method, the percentage of residents (who had never performed an epidural block) who reach the necessary competence is doubled compared to their colleagues who are trained in a traditional way. Also, the frequency of accidental dural puncture during the training period in the delivery room is halved.