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. 2015 Jan-Feb;18(1):102-9.
doi: 10.4103/1119-3077.146989.

National neonatal resuscitation training program in Nigeria (2008-2012): a preliminary report

E A Disu, I C Ferguson, O F Njokanma, L A Anga, A U Solarin, A O Olutekunbi, E N Ekure, V C Ezeaka, D O Esangbedo, T A Ogunlesi  1
Affiliations

National neonatal resuscitation training program in Nigeria (2008-2012): a preliminary report

E A Disu et al. Niger J Clin Pract. 2015 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Background: Routine institutional training of doctors and nurses on newborn resuscitation have commenced, to improve the quality of resuscitation available to high-risk babies, in Nigeria, as a means of reducing newborn deaths in the country. Perinatal asphyxia contributes to 26% of newborn deaths in Nigeria. Perinatal asphyxia results when babies have difficulty establishing spontaneous respiration after birth.

Materials and methods: Between 2008 and 2012, doctors and nurses drawn from all the geo-political zones were trained using the Neonatal Resuscitation Training (NRT) manual of the American Heart Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Questionnaire-based, cross-sectional surveys of doctor and nurse trainees from the six geo-political zones in Nigeria were conducted eight months after the primary training, to evaluate the post-training neonatal resuscitation activities.

Results: Over the period of study, 357 doctors and 370 nurse/midwives were primarily trained in NRT. The overall ratio of step down training was 1:22 with 1:18 for doctors and 1:26 for nurses. In 2008, the delivery attendance rates were 11 per doctor and 9 per nurse/midwife. These rates increased to 30 per doctor and 47 per nurse in 2012. Between 88 and 94% of the doctors and between 72 and 93% of the nurses successfully used bag and mask to help babies breathe in the post-training period. The nurses used bag and mask for infant resuscitation more frequently, compared to doctors, with the rate fluctuating between two-to-one and four-to-one. Over the years, 87 to 94% of the doctors and 92 to 97% of the nurses/midwives trained other birth attendants.

Conclusion: The NRT in Nigeria is well-subscribed and the frequency of secondary training is good.

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