[Assessment of management training for low-level community health workers providing care for children with acute respiratory infections in four districts of Senegal].

BACKGROUND

Acute respiratory infections are the leading cause of death in childhood and most child deaths in Senegal occur at home without qualified health care. Despite this situation, only qualified healthcare workers are authorized to prescribe antibiotics. A competency-based training program was developed to improve and assess management of acute respiratory infections in young children aged between 2 and 59 months by low-level educated community health workers (CHWs) in four districts of Senegal.

METHODS

In accordance with the strategy developed by the World Health Organisation, educated low-level community health workers in four district of Senegal were given a three-day course on the management of acute respiratory failure. We assessed the effects of the course by comparing pre-training and post-training skills with the Students t test.

RESULTS

The results showed that the educated low-level community health workers were capable of acquiring the skills needed to effectively manage children with acute respiratory failure.

CONCLUSION

Further evaluation is needed to determine the mid- and long-term effects of the course and supervised post-training activities.