Tell it Right, Start it Right: An evaluation of training for health professionals about Down syndrome

Abstract

Midwives do not routinely receive training in how to manage parent care when Down syndrome (DS) is identified in pregnancy or after birth. Many parents report dissatisfaction with the response of health professionals during this time. In response to this, the UK Down's Syndrome Association has developed the Tell it Right, Start it Right training. This paper reports on an evaluation of the training using the Kirkpatrick model ( Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick, 2006 ). A repeated measures online survey was delivered before training, immediately after training and 2 months after training. Midwives constituted the majority of participants. The evaluation found that knowledge of DS, confidence in communicating with parents and confidence in delivering a diagnosis of DS significantly increased after attending. Some evidence of applying knowledge in the workplace was identified; however, such training must become embedded in mandatory professional education if widespread improvements in parent experience are to be achieved.