Refresher Training on Maternal and Child Health for Urban Community Health Volunteers: Assessing Knowledge and Skills

Abstract

Refresher training is given to the health volunteers/workers for updating and upgrading the knowledge & skills to deliver comprehensive and integrated services and to increase female involvement in the healthcare delivery system and also to develop selfhelp
mechanisms at the community & family level. This study was carried out to understand the effect of Refresher training course on the knowledge and skills of Urban Community Health Volunteers (UCHVs) on Maternal and Child Health (MCH). The course was conducted by the Manipal College of Medical Sciences at the Manipal Teaching Hospital and Manipal School of Nursing, Pokhara, Nepal on seven days during the month of August, September and October\' 2005. The Manipal Teaching Hospital is a tertiary care hospital catering for a
large population in a hilly area in the western development region of Nepal. The numbers of Urban Community health volunteers were 56. Semi structured questionnaire with precoded closed and open ended questions in Maternal and child health were used before and after the training period. After the completion of the course, there was a significant increase in knowledge and skills of the volunteers (Z value=13.3, p<0.001). The course could be conducted adequately using the material and methodology proposed, but could have been more satisfactory if the time allocated to the exercise and clinical practical
sessions were increased. The study also highlighted the need for involving and encouraging health institutions in the private sector for the development of suitable training policy of His Majesty\'s Government and also in the implementation of national strategies for
health for all.

Keywords: Maternal and Child Health, Refresher Training, Urban Community Health Volunteers, Breast Feeding, Acute Respiratory Infection, Diarrhoeal Disease.

Internet Journal of Medical Update Vol. 1 (2) 2006: pp. 17-23