Research Article: Impact of an Educational Clinical Video Combined with Standard Helping Babies Breathe Training on Acquisition and Retention of Knowledge and Skills among Ethiopian Midwives
Abstract:
Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) is an evidence-based neonatal resuscitation program designed for implementation in low-resource settings. While HBB reduces rates of early neonatal mortality and stillbirth, maintenance of knowledge and skills remains a challenge. The extent to which the inclusion of educational clinical videos impacts learners’ knowledge and skills acquisition, and retention is largely unknown. We conducted a cluster-randomized controlled trial at two public teaching hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We randomized small training group clusters of 84 midwives to standard HBB vs. standard HBB training supplemented with exposure to an educational clinical video on newborn resuscitation. Midwives were followed over a 7-month time period and assessed on their knowledge and skills using standard HBB tools. When comparing the intervention to the control group, there was no difference in outcomes across all assessments, indicating that the addition of the video did not influence skill retention. Pass rates for both the control and intervention group on bag and mask skills remained low at 7 months despite frequent assessments. There is more to learn about the use of educational videos along with low-dose, high-frequency training and how it relates to retention of knowledge and skills in learners.
Introduction:
While significant improvements in rates of neonatal mortality have occurred in highly resourced settings, a tremendous burden of neonatal death persists in poorly resourced settings, specifically low-income countries. A child is 10 times more likely to die in the first month of life if born in sub-Saharan Africa compared to a high-income country [1]. In Ethiopia specifically, under-5 mortality has declined by 60% from 2000 to 2016, while neonatal mortality has only declined by 41% during that same period, dropping…
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