The Development of an Outreach Educational Workshop for Pediatricians to Manage Newborns With Birth-Related Neurological Illness

Abstract

Background

Neonatal encephalopathy (NE), particularly due to hypoxia/ischemia at birth, is a perinatal emergency. Timely diagnosis and initiation of therapeutic hypothermia within a 6-h window from birth are challenging.

Aim

We aimed to explore the challenges community physicians face in the management of NE in our region and to test the feasibility of co-designing and implementing an educational program that addresses their needs.

Methodology

This mixed-method study started with a 1 h semi-structured interview with community pediatricians through an audio-recorded virtual platform. Subsequently, an outreach training workshop was designed and pilot-tested at each participating center.

Data Analysis

Qualitative analysis included the following steps: data familiarization, code and theme generation, and report writing. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the impact of the curriculum on participants’ knowledge and experience.

Results

Key themes included lack of experience with detailed neurological examination due to infrequent exposure, lack of standardization in management guidelines, and limited access to brain monitoring devices. Diagnosing NE was challenging due to the natural variability in presentation, progression and time-sensitiveness of interventions. Focused skill development workshops were found to be feasible and significantly improved participants’ knowledge of NE. Almost 75% of the participants perceived that the workshop enhanced their comfort levels with the neonatal neurological assessment.

Conclusion

Outreach training education adapted to the local context is feasible and essential for the skill maintenance of community pediatricians who infrequently encounter NE. Future studies will have to study the impact of such workshops on physician behavior and patient outcomes.