P2B170: Ambulance Personnel Training in Newborn Resuscitation and Transport in the Dominican Republic

Purpose/Objectives: Build capacity in ambulance-emergency medical services (EMS) personnel in newborn resuscitation and transport (NRT) in the northern regions of the Dominican Republic (DR) by implementing the training program - the ABCs of NRT- Easy as 1, 2, 3.
The resuscitation, stabilization and transport of a newborn is a high-risk/low-frequency event for EMS clinicians worldwide. Training for such events is limited, and many feel unprepared. The ABCs of NRT-Easy as 1, 2, 3 is a newly developed educational program for EMS clinicians focusing on the initial steps of newborn resuscitation, stabilization and transport through didactic lessons, psychomotor skills training, and low-tech/moderate-fidelity simulations. Our objective is that in three years, the region will have sustainable NRT training programs.

Design/Methods: Since 2015 Manos de Ramon (MdR), a Dominican-based, non-governmental organization (NGO), has partnered with various NGOs and governmental agencies in facilitating training in Helping Mothers and Babies Survive (HMBS) courses to more than 1850 healthcare providers (HCPs) in the northern DR regions. In 2022 MdR partnered with EMS agencies in this area to train dozens of EMS providers in HMBS courses. Through these activities, all partners have recognized the need to train EMS personnel not only in newborn resuscitation but also in stabilization and transport. MdR is set to begin facilitating the training of regional EMS leaders in the ABCs of NRT in 2023 with both low-tech and moderate-tech neonatal simulators. During the roll out, MdR and EMS agencies will partner together in the training of EMS providers in the region with the goals of training 100 EMS personnel each year in the ABCs of NRT, of implementing low-dose/high-frequency (LDHF) activities focused on positive pressure ventilation of the newborn, and of the end goal of each EMS agency developing a sustainable training program.

Results: In May 2023 MdR and MOH officials will met and develop the three year plan for implementation of the training project. In July 2023 at the annual conference of Sociedad Dominicana de Pediatria - the Dominican Pediatric Society, MdR facilitators will present the course to Dominican Pediatricians. Later that month, MdR facilitators will train EMS educators in the course and provide the materials and mentorship for further implementation. In September 2023 the newly trained EMS educators will start local training of EMS providers. MdR officials will monitor the implementation of the trainings with the end goal of each agency developing a sustainable training program in NRT.

Conclusion/Discussion: Our project seeks to improve the training that EMS providers receive by implementing the training program- the ABCs for NRT that focuses on the resuscitation, stabilization, and transport of newborns. The goal is to have a sustainable program training EMS providers in NRT.