The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #48222

Boniface Sebikali, MD, MPH, Marcel Vekemans, MD, and Shannon Salentine, MPH. Intrah/PRIME II, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 8100, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8100

Public health problems in Benin are exacerbated by low utilization of health centers, poor quality of services and inadequate management and training of providers. At the request of USAID/Benin, the PRIME II Project has been working with the Ministry of Health since 1999 to develop family health protocols that respond to the needs of providers at each level of Benin's service delivery system, from community-based health units to tertiary hospitals. PRIME designed a user-friendly presentation of the protocols, which are organized in volumes covering women; men, youth and children; and common reproductive health services. To ensure minimal disruption of services, PRIME has also assisted in creating a practical and replicable method of disseminating and applying the protocols at health care facilities. Combining a short classroom orientation with tutorials and self-directed learning, the training agenda relies on traveling mentors who assist, encourage and motivate learners at each facility. Providers at each site are oriented as a group, enabling them to serve as peer resources during self-directed learning activities and application of the protocols on the job. Course content is also integrated into existing supervision structures for continuity in support of the learners. Early findings from the field-testing of the protocols, which began in June 2001, suggest that trained providers have improved service quality, dramatically improved infection prevention procedures, and are offering more services to men, adolescents, and HIV/STI clients. Results from a full evaluation of the field-testing will be available in March and disseminated during this presentation.

Learning Objectives:

• • Describe the health care system and situation in Benin and the challenges being faced in the area of family planning and reproductive health
  • Articulate the advantages of implementing user-friendly national protocols as a means of improving quality of services
  • Assess the merits of PRIME II's training approach in effectively applying the protocols on the ground

Keywords: Community-Based Public Health, Health Workers Training

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.