Easy Does It

It doesn’t take a lot of time or money to improve training of nurses and midwives and make births safer, a Jhpiego-led study determined.
 
Comparing 3 approaches, the researchers found that short, inexpensive, onsite, simulation-based training led to a 62% decrease in newborn death and a 17% decrease in postpartum hemorrhage—the leading cause of maternal death globally. However, more complex skills, such as resuscitating newborns, may require extra practice.

“This important study advances our understanding around the most critical question confronting global health today—understanding how provider performance can be sustainably improved,” says Harvard Medical School's Thomas F. Burke.
 
PLOS ONE