Village health worker training for complications of labor and delivery in rural Maharashtra, India

Abstract

Background

By analyzing the perspectives of village health worker/trainers with the Comprehensive Rural Health Project (CRHP), this study aimed to investigate their level of knowledge of treatment, risks, and prevention of complications of labor and delivery and to evaluate current teaching methods.

Methods

Three focus groups of six village health workers/trainers were conducted and divided according to level of experience. The resulting semistructured discussion was analyzed according to grounded theory.

Results

Participants displayed strong content retention with respect to clinically relevant knowledge. Village health workers experienced barriers, including lack of education and casteism, which affected their ability to establish trust in the community. Clinical observation was perceived to be the most effective learning method and is recommended for teaching village health workers about the treatment and prevention of the complications of labor and delivery.

Conclusion

When implementing this training model in comparable global communities, local culture and its impact on establishing trust is an important factor to consider.

Keywords:

• postpartum hemorrhage
• rural health
• women’s health
• village health workers
• village health worker training
• India

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the contributions of Ratna Kamble as a facilitator and translator during the focus groups.

Author contributions

WP conducted data collection and analysis, and wrote the initial draft of the paper. RD conceived the initial study design, assisted with data analysis and interpretation, and produced the final draft of the paper. SA contributed to the study design, coordinated recruitment of participants, and approved the final version to be published. PR assisted with data analysis and gave final approval of the draft. All authors contributed toward data analysis, drafting and revising the paper and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors have no competing interests to disclose in this work.