Effect of the Helping Babies Breathe Training Program An Experimental Study on Jordanian Midwives' Knowledge and Skills

The Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) training program trains providers in effective resuscitation of infants in developing countries. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the HBB training program on midwives' knowledge and skills in Northern Jordan. Using a nonequivalent control group design, 50 midwives (control, n = 25; experimental, n = 25) from 3 public hospitals in Northern Jordan were recruited and their knowledge and skills were evaluated before and after the training. The program has 3 aspects: 2 hours of teaching, 1 hour of testing, and 25 minutes of skills assessment per participant. The skills were tested individually for each participant, and they were reevaluated at 8 months after. The control and experimental groups significantly differed in posttest scores on knowledge, Objective Structured Clinical Examination A and B skills, and bag-mask application after adjusting for covariates. The HBB training program significantly enhanced knowledge of midwives in the experimental group (P < .05) and demonstrated skills. The HBB training program was helpful in improving midwives' knowledge and practices on immediate care of a newborn baby. Therefore, training midwives using the HBB training program can improve their knowledge and skills and thereby improve infant outcomes in Jordan.