IMPACT OF TRAINING OF PRIMARY HEALTH CARE STAFF ON MATERNITY AND CHILD HEALTH SERVICES

INTRODUCTION: Training of primary health care (PHC) staff, at Hail region, is conducted as a part of a national program for training all PHC staff all over the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The program started in Hail region during the year 1412H. The objective of the program was to train all PHC staff, or at least a doctor and a nurse or a midwife in every health center, on Maternity and Child Health (MCH) services. This objective was achieved at Hail region by the end of the year 1414H. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of training of PHC staff on maternal and child health services in Hail region. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Collection of data about MCH services was done by using structured forms, pre-tested and distributed at the end of each year studied to all Primary Health Care Centres (PHCCs). These forms were collected, data were encoded into the computer and analyzed by using SPSS for Windows statistical package. RESULTS: Evaluation of the program, at the end of the year 1415H, showed improvement in utilization of MCH services, and improved quality of care provided for mothers and children. This improvement was manifested by reduction of percentage of home deliveries without medical supervision, and increased numbers of risk factors discovered among pregnant mothers and children. However, the percentage of deliveries conducted at PHCCs were not increased, and pregnancy outcome showed slight reduction of S.B. rate. DISCUSSION: Improvement in the knowledge of the trainees was marked. Also intellectual skills e.g., using growth charts were markedly improved. However, because of the short duration of the courses, manual skills were not improved significantly. So increased frequencies of risk factors discovered among registered pregnant mothers and children was evident, however, deliveries at PHCCs were not increased. CONCLUSION: Training of PHC staff had a positive impact on maternal health services at Hail region. However, more time must be allowed to the practical part of training at the hospitals.