Identifying the know-do gap in evidence-based neonatal care practices among informal health care providers—A cross-sectional study from Ujjain, India
Abstract Background More than a quarter of global neonatal deaths are reported from India, and a large proportion of these deaths are preventable. However, in the absence of robust public health care systems in several states in India, informal health care providers (IHCPs) with no formal medical education are the first contact service providers. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of IHCPs in basic evidence-based practices in neonatal care in Ujjain district and investigated factors associated with differences in levels of knowledge. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a questionnaire with multiple-choice questions covering the basic elements of neonatal care. The collective score per question among the respondents was calculated. The score achieved by each respondent was calculated, grouped into either “fair” or “low”, and then checked for association with the practitioners’ age and years of experience, number of patients examined per day, and whether they attended children in their practice. Results Of the 945 IHCPs approached, 830 (88%) participated in the study. Of the potential 39,840 points, only an average of 18,483 (46%) were achieved, indicating a knowledge gap. Although these providers could identify key tenets of enhancing survival chances of neonates, they scored low on the specifics of cord care, breastfeeding, vitamin K use to prevent neonatal hemorrhage, and identification and care of low-birth-weight babies. The practitioners particularly lacked knowledge about neonatal resuscitation, and only a small proportion reported following up on immunizations in children they attended. Fair knowledge of IHCPs was significantly associated with attending more than 10 but less than 50 patients per day and of being aged between 35 and 45 years. Offering pediatric consultations was not significantly associated with achieving a fair score. Conclusions The present study highlighted that know-do gap exists in evidence-based practices for all key areas of neonatal care tested among the IHCPs. The study provides the evidence that educational interventions targeting IHCPs can improve neonatal care services and is an innovative way to reach a large rural population in the study setting.