Neonatal resuscitation program in solomon island: A first experience

Abstract Although Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) has become a neonatal standard emergency practice and has been widely popularized in more than 160 developed countries or high-economic developing countries, it is still quite unfamiliar in some developing countries which lack of medical resources. Therefore, we arranged training course of the 6th NRP to perinatal care-providers in Solomon Islands, in order to improve neonatal mortality. This study was planned to investigate whether the NRP knowledge and skills of perinatal care-providers in the Solomon Islands would improve after receiving this NRP training program. Following the 6th NRP textbook design, we arranged a two-day training course with pre- and post-test of a written questionnaire and simulation test of skill. There were 35 participates involved in this study, including 3 physicians, 20 registered nurses, and 12 midwives. We also solicited another 35 registered nurses as a control group for the same test. The results showed that the NRP training course might improve the knowledge of newborn resuscitation in perinatal care providers in Solomon Islands based on comparisons of mean scores within groups and between two groups on NRP training. However, from the comprehensive skills test, we found that NRP protocol or training courses might be adjusted to fit the requirement of local medical environment, epidemiology of neonatal mortality, and its cultural background in Solomon Islands. We hope to help more perinatal health providers to learn and pass the NRP protocol in order to reduce the neonatal mortality of Solomon Islands.