Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Nov 13;14(11):e0224257.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224257. eCollection 2019.

Results from a World Health Organization pilot of the Basic Emergency Care Course in Sub Saharan Africa

Andrea G Tenner  1 , Hendry R Sawe  2 , Stas Amato  3 , Joseph Kalanzi  4 , Muhumpu Kafwamfwa  5 , Heike Geduld  6 , Nikki Roddie  7 , Teri A Reynolds  7
Affiliations

Results from a World Health Organization pilot of the Basic Emergency Care Course in Sub Saharan Africa

Andrea G Tenner et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Frontline providers around the world deliver emergency care daily, often without prior dedicated training. In response to multiple country requests for open-access, basic emergency care training materials, the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation for Emergency Medicine (IFEM), undertook development of a course for health care providers-Basic Emergency Care: Approach to the acutely ill and injured (BEC). As part of course development, pilots were performed in Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Zambia to evaluate course feasibility and appropriateness. Here we describe participant and facilitator feedback and pre- and post-course exam performance.

Methods: A mixed methods research design incorporated pre- and post-course surveys as well as participant examination results to assess the feasibility and utility of the course, and knowledge transfer. Quantitative data were analyzed using Stata, and simple descriptive statistics were used to describe participant demographics. Survey data were coded and grouped by themes and analyzed using ATLAS.ti.

Results: Post-course test scores showed significant improvement (p-value < 0.05) as compared to pre-course. Pre- and post-course questionnaires demonstrated significantly increased confidence in managing emergency conditions. Participant-reported course strengths included course appropriateness, structure, language level and delivery methods. Suggested changes included expanding the 4-day duration of the course.

Conclusion: This pilot demonstrates that a low-fidelity, open-access course taught by local instructors can be successful in knowledge transfer. The BEC course was well-received and deemed context-relevant by pilot facilitators and participants in three East African countries. Further studies are needed to evaluate this course's impact on clinical practice and patient outcomes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no financial conflicts of interest. This study was conducted as part of the BEC course in which the authors were directly involved.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Pre- and post-course test results by country.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Razzak JA, Kellermann AL. Emergency medical care in developing countries: is it worthwhile? Bull World Health Organ. 2002;80(11):900–5. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gove S, Tamburlini G, Molyneux E, Whitesell P, Campbell H. Development and technical basis of simplified guidelines for emergency triage assessment and treatment in developing countries. WHO Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) Referral Care Project. Arch Dis Child. 1999. December;81(6):473–7. 10.1136/adc.81.6.473 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Reyes H, Tomé P, Guiscafré H, Martínez H, Romero G, Portillo E, et al. [The verbal autopsy on children with a respiratory infection and acute diarrhea. An analysis of the disease-care-death process]. Boletín Médico Hosp Infant México. 1993. January;50(1):7–16. - PubMed
    1. Nolan T, Angos P, Cunha AJ, Muhe L, Qazi S, Simoes EA, et al. Quality of hospital care for seriously ill children in less-developed countries. Lancet Lond Engl. 2001. January 13;357(9250):106–10. - PubMed
    1. Meaney PA, Sutton RM, Tsima B, Steenhoff AP, Shilkofski N, Boulet JR, et al. Training hospital providers in basic CPR skills in Botswana: Acquisition, retention and impact of novel training techniques. Resuscitation. 2012. December;83(12):1484–90. 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2012.04.014 - DOI - PMC - PubMed