Newborn Care Training of Midwives and Neonatal and Perinatal Mortality Rates in a Developing Country

The article by Froehlich and Fujikura1 on the prognosis of single umbilical artery is a much needed and highly informative addition to the literature. It presents a great deal of information and some important implications as to future management. We question the mortality rates quoted. They are given as percentages, and include stillbirths and neonatal deaths, i.e., perinatal mortality. The figure given as the general mortality rate is 3.8% or 38 per 1,000 births. Previous figures cited for perinatal mortality in the United States have varied from approximately 19 per 1,000 to approximately 26 per 1,000.2-4 We wonder how the figure of 38 per 1,000 was determined.

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Building a Maternal and Newborn Care Training Programme for Health-Care Professionals in Guinea-Bissau

Acta Médica Portuguesa ◽

10.20344/amp.8453 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 30 (10) ◽

pp. 734 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ana Reynolds ◽

Ahmed Zaky ◽

Joana Moreira-Barros ◽

João Bernardes

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Newborn Care ◽

Training Programme ◽

Guinea Bissau ◽

Care Training ◽

Multiple Choice Questionnaire ◽

Training Programmes ◽

Maternal And Newborn Care ◽

Maternal And Newborn

Introduction: The Integrated Programme of Maternal and Child Health aims to reduce maternal and child mortality in Guinea-Bissau. The purpose of this article is to share our experience in building a training programme on maternal and newborn care for health-care professionals in Guinea-Bissau.Material and Methods: Regional directors of the four target areas chose a group of staff who provide prenatal and childbirth care to attend the course (12 to 15 trainees per region). In each region, 15 highly interactive and practical sessions were scheduled over eight weeks. The trainees’ summative and reactive assessment was obtained using a multiple choice questionnaire (final test) and an anonymous survey, respectively.Results: Attendees included 25 nurses, 17 midwives and 14 doctors. About two thirds had five years’ practice or less. Test median scores were higher among trainees with two to nine years of practice (54.4% to 60.9%), as compared to those with a year or less (47.8%) or 10 or more years (45.7%). Pedagogical variables were rated as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ by 91% to 95% of the attendees.Discussion: Use of an interactive and practical pedagogical methodology produced positive results and was crucial to tailoring the training to local needs. However, adapting the syllabus according to professional categories and experiences should be considered.Conclusion: Our results warrant further development and evaluation of training programmes on maternal and neonatal care in Guinea-Bissau.

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Development of the Mexican Heart Team: The Long and Winding Road

Cardiology ◽

10.1159/000446472 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 135 (1) ◽

pp. 53-55

Author(s):

J. Alfredo Merino-Rajme ◽

Lilian G. Delgado-Espejel ◽

Julieta D. Morales-Portano ◽

Marco A. Alcántara-Meléndez ◽

J. Francisco García-García ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Developing Country ◽

Cause Of Death ◽

Optimal Strategy ◽

Multidisciplinary Approach ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Heart Team ◽

Current Article

Heart failure (HF) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Efforts to decrease HF mortality rates include a multidisciplinary approach management. Although evidence suggests that this has been an optimal strategy for treating HF, the model remains not widely implanted. The current article explores the rationale behind the formation of a Heart Team in a developing country and its development despite the lack of an allocated budget.

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