New Initiatives for Skilled Birth Attendants
The Simulation-Based Mentorship Program (SBMP)
In collaboration with the Family Welfare Division (FWD) of the Government of Nepal, OHW designed a Simulation-Based Mentorship Program (SBMP) for rural healthcare providers working in birthing centers. The SBMP is a hands-on, workstation-based, simulation-based training and mentoring program that also serves as an implementation research program in four of our program districts.
In 2023, we completed the endline assessments. Results are strongly positive, with participant feedback and endline results affirming the effectiveness of the low-dose, high-frequency approach of the simulation-based methodology as compared to traditional training methods. All modules saw significant improvements in both skills and knowledge, with the intervention group scoring an average of 25% higher than the control group on the knowledge assessment and an average of 125% on the skills assessment.
These results allowed us to secure a three-year grant from the Schooner Foundation to expand the SBMP in eight new districts, supported by additional funding from the International Foundation and Together Women Rise. Furthermore, these results were the foundation for our successful proposal to USAID’s ASHA Initiative, enabling us to secure significant multi-year funding to develop a nationwide network of simulation-based training laboratories in seven training hospitals across five provinces and integrate our simulation-based modular curriculum within Nepal’s formal SBA training structure.
With our Government partners, OHW is revolutionizing MNH service provider training in Nepal. Our initiatives in 2023 included:
Integrating OurSimulation-BasedTraining Methodology into the National SHP/SBA Training Curriculum
The positive results of our SBMP pilot have led the Government of Nepal to request our support in the integration of this new training methodology into Nepal’s national training curriculum for skilled health personnel (SHP) and SBAs, which they are currently revising. In 2023, our team provided technical assistance to the National Health Training Center (NHTC) to develop a new simulation-based modular training package for SBAs and SHPs. In addition to creating the curriculum for the six training modules, we also helped develop the trainer’s manual, participant’s handbook, and a reference manual. The revised training package has now been handed over to the NHTC for testing before being implemented nationwide. This project will extend OHW’s reach nationwide; our technical expertise will impact the training received by SBAs from around Nepal.