title: Evaluating Helping Babies Breathe: training for healthcare workers at hospitals in Rwanda.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the educational effectiveness of the Helping Babies Breathe programme.
  
  
  METHODS
  Knowledge of trainees from two district hospitals and one tertiary referral hospital was evaluated before and after training in 2010. A postcourse practical skills evaluation was performed on a Neonatalie Newborn Simulator. Participants underwent a re-evaluation after 3 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred eighteen trainees completed the course. The percentages of correct answers on a written test significantly increased from 77 ± 15% to 91 ± 9% (p < 0.01) after training. The mean score obtained on a postcourse skill evaluation was 89 ± 9%; 64% of the trainees achieved passing scores. Retesting 3 months later showed that knowledge remained at the same level, while practical skills decreased to 83 ± 16%, and the pass rate dropped significantly to 43% (p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Healthcare workers who participate in a Helping Babies Breathe programme can significantly improve their knowledge. While such knowledge is retained for at least 3 months, skills dropped to unsatisfactory levels in that period of time, indicating the need for retraining in the interim or the acquisition of practical experience by such healthcare workers.
authors.affiliation: Kigali University Teaching Hospital, Kigali, Rwanda. aimable.musafili@kbh.uu.se
authors.forename: Aimable
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Musafili
authors.forename: Birgitta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Essén
authors.forename: Cyprien
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baribwira
authors.forename: Alphonse
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rukundo
authors.forename: Lars-Åke
authors.initials: LÅ
authors.lastname: Persson
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012151:Resuscitation / Q000193:education*; D012432:Rwanda