Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial Applying Helping Baby Breathe in Nepal

In Nepal, health facilities need to be strengthened and the staff should be tailored training at health facilities who are designated as birthing center. Although, the health facility readiness survey has shown that health facilities had availability of bag and mask (neonatal) neonatal resuscitation equipment in delivery room (Kc et al., 2020). However, health workers were found to have lack of adequate knowledge on basic emergency and neonatal care (BEmONC) signal function including poor knowledge and skill on newborn resuscitation. resulting in poor child health outcomes during facility-births and had poor knowledge and skill on newborn resuscitation (Lama et al., 2020). Newborn resuscitation simulation training was effective in improving clinical performance of health service providers and perinatal outcomes (Vadla, Moshiro, et al., 2022). NeoNatalie™ is a low-cost, highly portable, and realistic manikin that helps health workers learn and practice standard newborn care and resuscitation measures to better handle birth asphyxia(Laerdal helping save lives, 2022). Use of NeoNatalie, a newborn simulator for neonatal resuscitation training has improved performance of midwives and their motivation(Vadla, Mdoe, et al., 2022). There has been intervention that provided training on helping baby breathe (HBB) in large hospitals in Nepal. However, the use of simulator and training to the midwives at birthing center has not been evaluated for the effectiveness of simulator in increasing their performance and newborn health outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to improve the performance of skilled-birth attendant in providing resuscitation to the newborn with birth asphyxia by applying simulator-based training.

Inclusion criteria

Health service providers those are directly involved in providing newborn care services

Have received Community-based Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illness (CB-IMNCI) training Have worked in the study facilities at least one year

Exclusion criteria

Health workers, Those lack experience at least six months of working in birthing centers Those who does not qualify as skilled birth attendant (non-SBA) Those who received training already