A recent study has demonstrated the effectiveness of advanced neonatal simulation tools in equipping healthcare providers with essential neonatal resuscitation skills, marking a significant step toward improving newborn survival in resource-limited settings.

Conducted in labor wards across the Geita and Shinyanga regions of Tanzania, the study published on Advances in Simulation journal, underscores the potential of innovative training approaches to enhance clinical preparedness and neonatal care outcomes. 

The research was carried out by a team that included Ifakara Health Institute scientist Dunstan Bishanga, alongside colleagues from Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (Tanzania), Haydom Lutheran Hospital (Tanzania), and Stavanger University Hospital (Norway).

Rapid skill acquisition among healthcare providers
The results were notable. In just one day, healthcare providers—regardless of their prior experience or professional background—acquired life-saving neonatal resuscitation skills. An impressive 87.3% of participants passed their initial skills evaluation.

These findings are consistent with previous studies, which have shown that over 80% of participants gain adequate skills following initial training. For example, in a Tanzanian study conducted before the nationwide rollout of the Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) curriculum, 87.1% of healthcare providers successfully passed their skills evaluations.

Demographic factors do not influence training outcomes
Importantly, the study found that demographic factors—including age, experience, facility level, and education—had no significant impact on skill acquisition. This suggests that simulation-based training can be standardized effectively, ensuring all healthcare providers, regardless of background, are equipped with the necessary skills to save newborn lives.

“Neonatal resuscitation skills training using technologically improved tools is feasible and effective in imparting skills among healthcare providers in resource-limited settings. Furthermore, healthcare providers gained skills similarly regardless of their educational background and work placement, which strengthens the suitability of the tools and the training modality,” the scientists noted.

Scaling up simulation-based training can reduce mortality
The study’s findings provide compelling evidence for scaling up simulation-based neonatal resuscitation training across various healthcare facilities. By ensuring that providers at all levels can acquire and retain critical resuscitation skills, this approach has the potential to significantly reduce neonatal mortality rates.

Future research on long-term skill retention is needed
The researchers emphasize that this study is just the beginning. While the training successfully enhanced skills, the next step is to ensure long-term retention and real-world application in clinical settings. The findings highlight the need for further research into sustained skill retention and the impact of improved training on neonatal health outcomes.

“It is imperative that this intervention be scaled up in other facilities to improve healthcare providers’ skills in neonatal resuscitation and the provision of care for neonates,” the scientists emphasized.

“In addition, studies to assess skills retention after introducing low-dose, high-frequency simulation-based training using these improved tools are essential to ascertain if they are effective in skills retention with time and if this skill is translated to clinical practice and improved clinical outcomes of neonates,” they concluded.

Read the publication here.