Helping Babies Survive Programs as an Impetus for Quality Improvement.

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Neonatal Care
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Global neonatal mortality reduction is targeted by Sustainable Development Goals and Every Newborn Action Plan.
• Helping Babies Survive (HBS) is an educational program for low-resource settings, addressing key neonatal mortality causes.
• Quality Improvement (QI) is vital for translating HBS education into enhanced patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the role of QI in conjunction with the Helping Babies Survive program.
• To identify challenges and best practices for implementing QI in neonatal care in low-resource settings.
• To assess the contribution of QI to achieving global neonatal mortality reduction targets.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing QI programs focused on the Helping Babies Survive curriculum in Kenya, Nepal, Honduras, and Ethiopia.
• Measuring key process and outcome indicators derived from HBS "Action Plans".
• Analyzing lessons learned regarding measurement, mentorship, multidisciplinary teams, and systemic commitment to QI.

Main Results:

• QI implementation faced challenges in measurement.
• Facility-based QI mentorship and multidisciplinary teams were essential for success.
• Systemic commitment is crucial for fostering a culture of QI.

Conclusions:

• Integrating QI with HBS education is essential for improving newborn care.
• Addressing measurement challenges and ensuring strong mentorship are key to successful QI implementation.
• A systemic commitment to QI is necessary to achieve global neonatal mortality reduction goals.