TY - JOUR
T1 - Continuous professional development of Liberia's midwifery workforce—A coordinated multi-stakeholder approach
AU - Michel-Schuldt, Michaela
AU - Billy Dayon, Matilda
AU - Toft Klar, Robin
AU - Subah, Marion
AU - King-Lincoln, Esther
AU - Kpangbala-Flomo, Cecelia
AU - Broniatowski, Raphaël
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding: The piloting of the COD programme was financially supported by the Delegation of the European Union to Liberia 1
Funding Information:
Funding: The piloting of the COD programme was financially supported by the Delegation of the European Union to Liberia1 [project number FED/2014/351/044]; the Swedish International Development Assistance; We are thankful to Jhpiego who gave their permission to use the e-learning modules and to Laerdal Global Health which donated MamaNatalies for the skills training.
PY - 2018/7
Y1 - 2018/7
N2 - Background: Maternal and newborn mortality remains high in Liberia. There is a severe rural–urban gap in accessibility to health care services. A competent midwifery workforce is able to meet the needs of mothers and newborns. Evidence shows that competence can be assured through initial education along with continuous professional development (CPD). In the past, CPD was not regulated and coordinated in Liberia which is cpommon in the African region. Aim: To Support a competent regulated midwifery workforce through continuous professional development. Methodology: A new CPD model was developed by the Liberian Board for Nursing and Midwifery. With its establishment, all midwives and nurses are required to undertake CPD programmes consisting of certified training and mentoring in order to renew their practicing license. The new model is being piloted in one county in which regular mentoring visits that include skills training are being conducted combined with the use of mobile learning applications addressing maternity health issues. Quality control of the CPD pilot is assured by the Liberian Board for Nursing and Midwifery. The mentoring visits are conducted on a clinical level but are coordinated on the national and county level. Successes and sustainability: CPD using mobile learning on smartphones and regular mentoring visits not only improved knowledge and skills of midwives and nurses but also provided a solution to enhance accessibility in rural areas through improved communication and transportation, as well as improved career development of health personnel working in remote areas. Mentors were trained on a national, county, and health facility level in the pilot county with mentoring visits conducted regularly. Conclusion: The CPD programme of the Liberian Board for Nursing and Midwifery, currently in pilot-testing by various partners, aims to highlight the positive impact of the coordinating role of both the regulatory body and health authorities. Using regular process and programme reviews to improve capacity, knowledge, and skills of health professionals.
AB - Background: Maternal and newborn mortality remains high in Liberia. There is a severe rural–urban gap in accessibility to health care services. A competent midwifery workforce is able to meet the needs of mothers and newborns. Evidence shows that competence can be assured through initial education along with continuous professional development (CPD). In the past, CPD was not regulated and coordinated in Liberia which is cpommon in the African region. Aim: To Support a competent regulated midwifery workforce through continuous professional development. Methodology: A new CPD model was developed by the Liberian Board for Nursing and Midwifery. With its establishment, all midwives and nurses are required to undertake CPD programmes consisting of certified training and mentoring in order to renew their practicing license. The new model is being piloted in one county in which regular mentoring visits that include skills training are being conducted combined with the use of mobile learning applications addressing maternity health issues. Quality control of the CPD pilot is assured by the Liberian Board for Nursing and Midwifery. The mentoring visits are conducted on a clinical level but are coordinated on the national and county level. Successes and sustainability: CPD using mobile learning on smartphones and regular mentoring visits not only improved knowledge and skills of midwives and nurses but also provided a solution to enhance accessibility in rural areas through improved communication and transportation, as well as improved career development of health personnel working in remote areas. Mentors were trained on a national, county, and health facility level in the pilot county with mentoring visits conducted regularly. Conclusion: The CPD programme of the Liberian Board for Nursing and Midwifery, currently in pilot-testing by various partners, aims to highlight the positive impact of the coordinating role of both the regulatory body and health authorities. Using regular process and programme reviews to improve capacity, knowledge, and skills of health professionals.
KW - Competence
KW - Continuous professional development
KW - Mentoring
KW - Midwifery regulation
KW - Quality of care
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85045246882&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85045246882&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.midw.2018.02.023
DO - 10.1016/j.midw.2018.02.023
M3 - Article
C2 - 29655008
AN - SCOPUS:85045246882
SN - 0266-6138
VL - 62
SP - 77
EP - 80
JO - Midwifery
JF - Midwifery
ER -