Effect of in-hospital training in newborn resuscitation on the competence of health-care workers in resuscitating newborn infants at birth at Mboppi Baptist Hospital, Douala, Cameroon

INTRODUCTION: neonatal mortality accounts for the most significant proportion of under-five mortality worldwide, as in Cameroon. Birth asphyxia is the leading cause of neonatal deaths in Cameroon. Training of health care workers (HCWs) in newborn resuscitation reduces neonatal morbidity and mortality. In this study, we evaluated the effect of in-hospital training on the competence (knowledge and skills) of HCWs in newborn resuscitation at Mboppi Baptist Hospital, Douala, Cameroon. METHODS: this was a quasi-experimental study done in five weeks, in which we compared knowledge and skills before and after training. Assessment of knowledge and skills of HCWs in newborn resuscitation was done before training (simulations) and a week after training using World Health Organization (WHO) adapted Emergency Triage Assessment and Treatment (ETAT+) standard tool. Three key informant interviews (KIIs) and a focused group discussion (FGD) were held to determine barriers to effective newborn resuscitation. Data were analyzed using R software version 3.6.2. McNemar test and Cohen´s Kappa were used to analyze quantitative data, while major themes from KIIs and FGDs were selected for qualitative data. RESULTS: we enrolled 30 HCWs, each HCW was observed twice, a total of 60 deliveries observed before and 60 after training. Sixteen HCWs (53%) showed adequate knowledge before and after training. Median scores for skills significantly increased by 28% (p<0.00054) for real-life observations and 26% (p=0.0004) for newborn resuscitation scenario simulations. The main barriers to adequate newborn resuscitation were inadequate knowledge, equipment, shortage of trained staff and poor teamwork between midwives and anesthetists. CONCLUSION: in-hospital training on newborn resuscitation improved the skills of HCWs but had no significant effect on their knowledge on newborn resuscitation. We would recommend that in-hospital training in newborn resuscitation be done often for HCWs.