ObjectivesMillions of children die every year from serious childhood illnesses. Most deaths are avertable with access to quality care. Saving Children’s Lives (SCL) includes an abbreviated high-intensity training (SCL-aHIT) for providers who treat serious childhood illnesses. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of SCL-aHIT on knowledge acquisition and retention of providers.Setting76 participating centres who provide primary and secondary care in Kweneng District, Botswana.ParticipantsDoctors and nurses expected by the District Health Management Team to provide initial care to seriously ill children, completed SCL-aHIT between January 2014 and December 2016, submitted demographic data, course characteristics and at least one knowledge assessment.MethodsRetrospective, cohort study. Planned and actual primary outcome was adjusted acquisition (change in total knowledge score immediately after training) and retention (change in score at 1, 3 and 6 months), secondary outcomes were pneumonia and dehydration subscores. Descriptive statistics and linear mixed models with random intercept and slope were conducted. Relevant institutional review boards approved this study.Results211 providers had data for analysis. Cohort was 91% nurses, 61% clinic/health postbased and 45% pretrained in Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI). A strong effect of SCL-aHIT was seen with knowledge acquisition (+24.56±1.94, p<0.0001), and loss of retention was observed (−1.60±0.67/month, p=0.018). IMCI training demonstrated no significant effect on acquisition (+3.58±2.84, p=0.211 or retention (+0.20±0.91/month, p=0.824) of knowledge. On average, nurses scored lower than physicians (−19.39±3.30, p<0.0001). Lost to follow-up had a significant impact on knowledge retention (−3.03±0.88/month, p=0.0007).ConclusionsaHIT for care of the seriously ill child significantly increased provider knowledge and loss of knowledge occurred over time. IMCI training did not significantly impact overall knowledge acquisition nor retention, while professional status impacted overall score and lost to follow-up impacted retention.

Pediatric Fundamentals of Critical Care Support training significantly increased provider knowledge to care for hospitalized seriously ill or injured children in Botswana. Knowledge accrual is most significant among early career providers and is not limited by previous pediatric resuscitation or emergency training. Further contextualization of the course to use equipment relevant to providers work environment may increase the value of training.

Background Serious childhood illnesses (SCI), defined as severe pneumonia, severe dehydration, sepsis, and severe malaria, remain major contributors to amenable child mortality worldwide. Inadequate recognition and treatment of SCI are factors that impact child mortality in Botswana. Skills assessments of providers caring for SCI have not been validated in low and middle-income countries. Objective To establish preliminary inter-rater reliability, validity evidence, and feasibility for an assessment of providers who care for SCI using simulated patients and remote video capture in community clinic settings in Botswana. Methods This was a pilot study. Four scenarios were developed via a modified Delphi technique and implemented at primary care clinics in Kweneng, Botswana. Sessions were video captured and independently reviewed. Response process and internal structure analysis utilized intra-class correlation (ICC) and Fleiss’ Kappa. A structured log was utilized for feasibility of remote video capture. Results Eleven subjects participated. Scenarios of Lower Airway Obstruction (ICC = 0.925, 95%CI 0.695–0.998) and Hypovolemic Shock from Severe Dehydration (ICC = 0.892, 95%CI 0.596–0.997) produced excellent ICC among raters while Lower Respiratory Tract Infection (LRTI, ICC = 0, 95%CI -0.034–0.97) and LRTI + Distributive Shock from Sepsis (0.365, 95%CI -0.025–0.967) were poor. Oxygen therapy (0.707), arranging transport (0.706), and fluid administration (0.701) demonstrated substantial task reliability. Conclusions Initial development of an assessment tool demonstrates many, but not all, criteria for validity evidence. Some scenarios and tasks demonstrate excellent reliability among raters, but others may be limited by manikin design and study implementation. Remote simulation assessment of some skills by clinic-based providers in global health settings is reliable and feasible.