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Program Approach :
Clinical Interventions :
Human Resource Development
Human Resource Development
Policy-Level Advocacy to Improve Human Resources for Health Care
ACCESS works to increase the number of skilled providers by
supporting the revision of statutes, national guidelines, and pre-service and
in-service education curricula to ensure that the use of life-saving measures
such as uterotonics and management of postpartum hemorrhage are not limited to
obstetricians.
Another important component of human resources for maternal
and newborn care is developing policies whereby future providers can be
recruited from communities to which they will return upon graduation, other
policies that recognize the importance of retaining new and experienced
providers.
Training and Education of Skilled Providers
ACCESS implements competency-based pre-service and in-service
training to ensure that midwives, nurses and doctors acquire the evidence-based knowledge
and skills they need to improve maternal and newborn outcomes, whether they practice
in a facility or home setting.
The program promotes a humanistic approach in which
providers practice their skills using anatomic models, role plays and case studies
before applying them in real-life situations, shortening training time and
improving comfort and safety for women and babies. Providers also learn the
importance of treating women and families with kindness and respect for
culturally appropriate care.
Training and Supervision of Community-Level Workers
ACCESS seeks to increase the availability of quality maternal
and newborn care by enhancing the knowledge and skills of community-based health
workers who play a key role in delivering services. Skilled providers can train
community-based workers, who are often the only resource available to women and
families in remote areas. Facility-based providers can also supervise these
workers in order to maintain optimal communication between families, communities,
and the formal health care system. This system of training and supervision encourages
functioning linkages among all levels of the household-to-hospital continuum of
care.
Community health workers, including traditional birth
attendants, are particularly important, because they can identify pregnant
women locally and take health messages and counseling to them in their homes.
They can also assist in birth planning—helping families gather financial
resources and supplies to prepare for clean and safe birth as well as in
identifying transportation to a health facility in case of emergency.
Birth planning is especially critical in areas where women cannot
easily reach a skilled provider. Community health workers are also effective in
increasing community-based distribution of vital commodities such as condoms,
insecticide-treated nets to protect against malaria, and antiretrovirals for
HIV-positive women and newborns.
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