Actions to Help Babies Breath at Birth: Training Interventions to Improve Health Workers Knowledge, Practices and Competency

Abstract

Background: Whether training of health workers on Helping Babies breathe (HBB) improves knowledge; practical skill in tertiary health facility of republic of South Sudan has not been studied. Therefore the study examined the effectiveness of training on the prospective outcome of knowledge practical skill and subsequent newborn mortality in the hospital setting. Methods: Our quasi experimental study compared the outcome of the training in two tertiary hospital of Wau and Juba pre and post intervention using heaping Babies Breathe training for health workers. Our hypothesis was that HBB training would result in 20% increase in knowledge, skill and subsequent reduction of early new-born mortality among new-born born with asphyxia. Result: We enrolled seventy health workers in the two sites of the studies. Health worker within each site were tested on their knowledge and practical skill pre intervention. In the post intervention, health workers knowledge, practical skill and competency in intervention site increased tremendously. There was no significant increase among the health workers in Wau Hospital. Mortality due to asphyxia reduced in Juba teaching Hospital where intervention occurred and remained at the pre intervention in Wau teaching Hospital. Conclusion: Training of Health worker on HBB in South Sudan was associated with improvement in knowledge, practical skills competency and reduction in early new-born mortality within 24 hours. The improvement in knowledge, skill and competency suggest there is need for rapid scale up of HBB training for health workers in south Sudan.