The integrated in-service blended training on reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health (RMNCH IRT) for Community Health Workers run by Last Mile Health (LMH) covering four regions in Ethiopia, and engaging more than 1,000 health workers has published their first results and recommendations. In response to this study’s promising results, the Health Ministry of Ethiopia plans to develop additional blended learning modules–and to implement this first module in more districts, reaching a greater number of Ethiopia’s 40,000 community health workers.
Some of the key findings by LMH in the study were the following:
- The blended RMNCH IRT costs less and takes less time to implement while achieving similar knowledge outcomes as conventional IRT, as measured directly after the conclusion of training;
- After training, skills assessment scores among blended IRT learners improved dramatically for all RMNCH key competencies.
- When supervisors received customized learner reports, they used the data to inform follow-up supervision visits.
- The ability to generate and use individual data for targeted supervision is a powerful quality-improvement tool of the blended approach.
- The blended RMNCH IRT provides a more interactive experience for learners and increased availability of training materials to learners after training. These program design components could contribute to sustained improvement in learning outcomes and service delivery, but further measurement would be needed.
You can read more about the project report here.