Participants' opinions of the limited impact of an adapted neonatal resuscitation course in a low-resource setting

A narrative review of course evaluation methods for continuing professional development: The case of paediatric and neonatal acute-care in-service courses in low and lower-middle income countries: BEME Guide No. 76

BACKGROUND

Training a skilled healthcare workforce is an essential part in reaching the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal to end preventable deaths in children and neonates. The greatest burden of mortality lies in low and lower-middle income countries (LLMIC). Short term, in-service courses have been implemented in many LLMIC to improve the quality of care delivered, but the evaluation methods of these courses are inconsistent.

METHOD

Studies describing evaluations of course and outcome measures were included if the course lasted seven days or less with postgraduate participants, included paediatric or neonatal acute or emergency training and was based in a LLMIC. This narrative review provides a detailed description of evaluation methods of course content, delivery and outcome measures based on 'Context, Input, Process and Product' (CIPP) and Kirkpatrick models.

RESULTS

5265 titles were screened with 93 articles included after full-text review and quality assessment. Evaluation methods are described: context, input, process, participant satisfaction, change in learning, behaviour, health system infrastructure and patient outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Outcomes, including mortality and morbidity, are rightly considered the fundamental aim of acute-care courses in LLMIC. Course evaluation can be difficult, especially with low resources, but this review outlines what can be done to guide future course organisers in providing well-conducted courses with consistent outcome measures for maximum sustainable impact.

Pre-service and in-service education and training for maternal and newborn care providers in low- and middle-income countries: An evidence review and gap analysis

BACKGROUND

Good quality midwifery care has the potential to reduce both maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity in high, low, and lower-middle income countries (LMIC) and needs to be underpinned by effective education. There is considerable variation in the quality of midwifery education provided globally.

OBJECTIVE

To determine what are the most efficient and effective ways for LMICs to conduct pre-service and in-service education and training in order to adequately equip care providers to provide quality maternal and newborn care.

DESIGN

Rapid Systematic Evidence Review METHODS: A systematic search of the following databases was conducted: Medline, CINAHL, LILACs, PsycInfo, ERIC, and MIDIRs. Studies that evaluated the effects of pre-service and in-service education that were specifically designed to train, educate or upskill care providers in order to provide quality maternal and newborn care were included. Data was extracted and presented narratively.

FINDINGS

Nineteen studies were included in the review. Of these seven were evaluations of pre-service education programmes and 12 were evaluations of in-service education programmes. Whilst studies demonstrated positive effects on knowledge and skills, there was a lack of information on whether this translated into behaviour change and positive effects for women and babies. Moreover, the level of the evidence was low and studies often lacked an educational framework and theoretical basis. Mapping the skills taught in each of the programmes to the Quality Maternal and Newborn Care framework (Renfrew et al., 2014) identified that interventions focused on very specific or individual clinical skills and not on the broader scope of midwifery.

KEY CONCLUSIONS

There is a very limited quantity and quality of peer reviewed published studies of the effectiveness of pre service and in service midwifery education in LMICs; this is at odds with the importance of the topic to survival, health and well-being. There is a preponderance of studies which focus on training for specific emergencies during labour and birth. None of the in-service programmes considered the education of midwives to international standards with the full scope of competencies needed. There is an urgent need for the development of theoretically informed pre-service and in-service midwifery education programmes, and well-conducted evaluations of such programmes. Upscaling quality midwifery care for all women and newborn infants is of critical importance to accelerate progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 3. Quality midwifery education is an essential pre-requisite for quality care. To deliver SDG 3, the startling underinvestment in midwifery education identified in this review must be reversed.

Decision making and situational awareness in neonatal resuscitation in low resource settings

INTRODUCTION

Data on non-technical skills (i.e. task management, team working, situation awareness and decision-making) of healthcare providers during real-life newborn resuscitation in low-resource settings are lacking. We aimed to assess non-technical skills of trained midwives during real-life newborn resuscitation in a low-resource setting before and after participation in a modified NRP course, and after a low-dose/high-frequency training.

METHODS

One-hundred and fifty video-recorded resuscitations (50 before and 50 after participation in a modified NRP course, and 50 after a low-dose/high-frequency training) collected at the Beira Central Hospital (Mozambique) were independently viewed and rated by two neonatologists with expertise in high fidelity simulation. Non-technical skills regarding task management, situation awareness and decision-making were evaluated using the modified Anesthetists' Non-Technical Skills tool.

RESULTS

Overall, most non-technical skills were scored as poor or marginal. Small improvements were observed in task management (planning and preparing p = 0.02; providing/maintaining standards p = 0.03) after the course. Limited improvements were observed in task management (prioritizing p = 0.03; providing/maintaining standards p = 0.04; identifying and utilizing resources p = 0.02) and decision-making (identifying options p = 0.04; balancing risk/selecting options p = 0.02) after the low-dose/high-frequency training. No differences were observed in situation awareness, apart from a small improvement in recognizing/understanding (p = 0.04) after the low-dose/high-frequency training.

CONCLUSION

An educational intervention including a modified NRP course and a low-dose/high-frequency training on neonatal resuscitation had a limited impact on non-technical skills of participants. All items remained significantly under the recommended standards. Behavioral skills should be considered in training programs in order to improve the quality of neonatal resuscitation in low resource settings.

Beyond basic resuscitation: What are the next steps to improve the outcomes of resuscitation at birth when resources are limited?

Implementation of basic neonatal resuscitation in low- and middle-income settings consistently saves lives on the day of birth. What can be done to extend these gains and further improve the outcomes of infants who require resuscitation at birth when resources are limited? This review considers how resuscitation and post-resuscitation care can advance to help meet the survival goals of the Every Newborn Action Plan for 2030. A brief summary of the evidence for benefit from basic neonatal resuscitation training in low- and middle-income countries highlights key aspects of training, low-dose high-frequency practice, and implementation with single providers or teams. Reorganization of processes of care, as well as new equipment for training and selected clinical interventions can support further quality improvement in resuscitation. Consideration of the resuscitation algorithm itself focuses on important actions for all babies and special considerations for small babies and those not crying after thorough drying. Finally, an examination of the vital elements of assessment and continued stabilization/care in the health facility draws attention to the opportunities for prevention of intrapartum-related events and the gaps that still exist in postnatal care. Extending and improving implementation of basic resuscitation to make it available to all newborns will assure continued benefit to the largest numbers; once high coverage and quality of basic resuscitation are achieved, health systems with maturing capacity can extend survival gains with improved prevention, more advanced resuscitative interventions, and strengthened postnatal care.