Training Birth Attendants Reduces Baby Deaths in Congo
Author Information
Author(s): Matendo Richard, Engmann Cyril, Ditekemena John, Gado Justin, Tshefu Antoinette, Kinoshita Rinko, McClure Elizabeth M, Moore Janet, Wallace Dennis, Carlo Waldemar A, Wright Linda L, Bose Carl
Primary Institution: Kinshasa School of Public Health, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
Hypothesis
Does training birth attendants in the Democratic Republic of Congo reduce perinatal mortality?
Conclusion
Training birth attendants using the Essential Newborn Care program reduces perinatal mortality, but the benefits may take time to manifest.
Supporting Evidence
- Training led to a significant decline in perinatal mortality during the year following training.
- More than two-thirds of deliveries were attended by traditional birth attendants.
- The decline in mortality was associated with time following training.
- NRP training did not show additional benefits in reducing mortality.
- The study was population-based and included all births in selected communities.
Takeaway
Teaching people how to help babies during birth can save lives, but it might take a little while for the good results to show up.
Methodology
The study was a secondary analysis of data from a multi-country trial, comparing perinatal mortality rates before and after training birth attendants.
Potential Biases
Data collection was performed by birth attendants who implemented the intervention, which could introduce bias.
Limitations
The study relied on pre-post data which may not fully capture the effects of training.
Participant Demographics
The study included births in 12 communities in rural Equateur Province, DRC, with a high proportion of traditional birth attendants.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.0235
Confidence Interval
0.66-0.97
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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