The impact of educational interventions on the competence of nurses and midwives in neonatal resuscitation in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review

Abstract

Background: Neonatal mortality is still a significant global public health issue and most of these deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite extensive government and nongovernment campaigns, the neonatal fatality rate in this region remains unacceptable.

Aim: This review evaluates the efficacy of educational resuscitation interventions on the knowledge and skills of nurses and midwives about newborns resuscitation.

Setting: Knowledge and skills of nurses and midwives about newborns resuscitation in sub-Saharan Africa.

Method: The review followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards and used the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system to evaluate the quality of evidence from the included studies. A search was conducted across seven databases from 2000 to 2024. A cumulative number of 912 studies were retrieved. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022332734).

Result: The final selection comprised 16 articles. An average grading score of 2.4, suggesting low to moderate evidence. The programmes included the Basic Emergency Obstetrics and Newborn Care training, the Helping Babies Breathe (HBB), the UK Resuscitation Guidelines, the American Heart Council Guidelines, the American Neonatal Resuscitation Program and the Safe Delivery Application. The intervention resulted in considerable improvements in resuscitation knowledge and skills.

Conclusion: This review has demonstrated the importance of providing nurses and midwives with training in neonatal resuscitations, as well as the substantial impact it has on the reduction of neonatal mortality rates.

Contribution: This study highlights the need for high-quality data and prioritise locally and culturally acceptable interventions to reduce neonatal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa.