In Mozambique neonatal mortality is 34 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births, accounting for approximately 35% of under-5 deaths. Around 25% of these neonatal deaths is linked to delivery-related events, in particular breathing problems. Indeed, the intervention of health care personnel is required when newborns are unable to breathe spontaneously, but in lower-income countries health workers are often unprepared to handle such emergencies.
This highlights the importance of training health care professionals in the area of emergency neonatal care.
Carried out in 2014 in the central hospital in Beira, Mozambique, this study assessed the work of the health care staff in charge of the delivery room (16 midwives) prior to and after having undergone a day of training on neonatal resuscitation.
The assessment was undertaken using a new methodology meant specifically for settings in lower-income areas: a webcam was placed in the delivery room to record the activities of the hospital’s sixteen midwives for the duration of the study as they handled 100 newborns – 50 before undergoing training and 50 afterwards.
Although they failed to fully meet the recommended standards both in terms of actions taken and their timing, after undergoing the day-long training course the midwives improved their resuscitation performances at every level. They achieved a score of 44% for the initial steps (correct positioning of the infant’s head, preparation of materials, and so forth), in comparison with the 33% score achieved prior to the course; moreover, they also improved their performance in terms of the use and positioning of oxygen masks (from 20% to 40%) and cardiothoracic resuscitation (from 0% to 20%).