Implementing the Dubowitz assessment of gestational age in India and Malawi: a cross-sectional study of participants in a training workshop

Abstract

Background Accurate assignment of the gestational age of newborns is important for the identification of prematurity. The Dubowitz assessment is the gold standard among postnatal examinations used to assign gestational age, but implementation has been limited because of examination complexity and training requirements. The objective of this study was to explore factors related to teaching and implementing the Dubowitz examination that may influence its uptake in India and Malawi. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in India and Malawi during the preparation for a low-birthweight infant feeding exploratory study. Twenty trainees participated in a Dubowitz examination training workshop that occurred over two half-day sessions. Trainees completed pretraining and posttraining surveys related to their perceptions of the Dubowitz training, the examination, and factors affecting the administration of the examination in their setting. Results All survey respondents expressed confidence in their ability to perform the Dubowitz examination after the training. Less than a third expressed concerns about the time required to learn (30%) or perform the examination (25%). Eighty-five percent of trainees identified concerns related to parental perception of the examination that may inhibit implementation. Trainees averaged 14 minutes (standard deviation: 4.5 minutes) to complete the examination. More than 80% of trainee answers were within one point of the trainer for 16 of the 22 Dubowitz signs. Trainee composite scores were within ±3 weeks of the trainer for 95% of assessments based on Bland-Altman analysis. Conclusions The Dubowitz examination at birth is a method to improve identification of premature infants in the absence of prenatal dating. We found widespread acceptance for the Dubowitz assessment among participants in training workshops in India and Malawi, despite the complexity and length of the examination. The high level of trainee-trainer concordance on individual examination signs suggests that an acceptable level of competence is feasible after a short, concentrated workshop. Further investigation into barriers that hinder implementation such as negative parental perceptions is warranted. Registration details Clinical Trials Registration: NCT04002908 (www.clinicaltrials.gov) and CTRI/2019/02/017475 (Clinical Trial Registry of India - http://ctri.nic.in).