Assessment of health workers knowledge of neonatal transport services in Southern Nigeria: A pre-and post-intervention study

Abstract

Background: Sick or atrisk newborns delivered out-ofhospital in Nigeria often require a transfer to higher levels of care. However, these newborns are usually doubly challenged with being commuted using substandard transport modalities to referral centres in urban areas, which significantly affects survival. Whether healthcare workers in low-resourced settings know about efficient neonatal transport services remains unknown, justifying the need for this study.
Methods: This was a pre- and post educational intervention study carried out among healthcare workers from 28 health facilities in Port Harcourt Metropolis. Healthcare workers’ knowledge of pre-transport stabilization, appropriate referral, and in-transit care of at-risk and sick neonates was assessed using a structured questionnaire. Educational training was conducted through modules adapted from the National Comprehensive Newborn Care guidelines. Data was analyzed using SPSS Version 23 and the effect of training was assessed using a paired t-test.
Results: The mean pre-test knowledge score was 55.82%±12.5% and the mean post-test knowledge score was 85.27%±18.3%. There was a statistically significant increase in mean knowledge scores [Mean difference: -29.45; 96% CI: (-41.61 to – 17.30); p= 0.0001], with a significant [p= 0.024] increase in knowledge scores in the ‘appropriate referral’ domain.
Conclusion: There is suboptimal knowledge of neonatal transport services among health workers in Southern Nigeria. Training significantly improved their knowledge of pre-transport stabilization, appropriate referral, and in-transit care in neonatal transport. There is a need to formulate a standard training curriculum for neonatal transport and train healthcare workers in the effective modes of neonatal transport, including the use of the Kangaroo mother position.