Effectiveness of didactic training on the cognitive knowledge of health professionals on neonatal resuscitation in southern Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Nigeria has a high neonatal mortality rate. Most of these deaths can be prevented by providing adequate training for health providers with available and functional basic resuscitation equipments. Our aim was to assess the effect of training on the cognitive knowledge of health practitioners on neonatal resuscitation.
Method: We conducted neonatal resuscitation trainings for selected health professionals from all the senatorial districts of Akwa Ibom State, based on the Neonatal Resuscitation programme (NRP) of the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP). The facilitators were trained and certified in the NRP train-the trainers program of the AAP conducted by the Paediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN). Pre -and post-test were organized during the training and the test scores analyzed to assess any improvement in the knowledge of the health professionals on neonatal resuscitation.
Results: One hundred and eightyone health professionals were trained over a two year period. Sixty five (35.9%) were doctors, while 116 (64.9%) were nurses. Physicians had similar pre- test but significantly higher post- test scores compared to the nurses: 46.35±15.34 vs 43.70± 14.51; p=0.34 and 76.14±13.02vs 66.29±15.7; p=0.04 respectively. All the health professionals showed significantly higher posttest scores compared to the pre-test scores; p=0.001 respectively. There was also a negative relationship between the number of practice years and the pre-training scores for the physicians and nurses; spearman rho= -0.18; p=0.45 and -0.43;p=0.003 respectively.
Conclusion: Neonatal resuscitation training leads to an improvement in the cognitive knowledge of health practitioners. All health practitioners should be trained irrespective of number of practice years. Further studies are required to assess its long term impact on neonatal mortality.

Keywords: Neonatal Resuscitation Training, knowledge, health