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. 2014 Sep 4;11(Suppl 2):S2. doi: 10.1186/1742-4755-11-S2-S2

Table 3.

Characteristics of the included reviews for human resources-training

Reviews (n=18) Description of included interventions Type of studies included (no) Targeted health care providers Outcome reported Pooled data (Y/N) Results

Other outcomes MNCH specific outcomes
Bhutta 2010 [51] In-service training to health personnel only, defined as SBAs (nurses, midwives, doctors or health personnel with midwifery skills) for better maternal outcomes. Before after:08, Quais:02, Cross-sectional: 2 Skilled birth attendants (doctors, nurses and midwives) as well as to other service providers (lab tech) in LMIC Cesarean section No 1.78 (0.34-9.32)
Maternal mortality 0.57 (0.36-0.91)
Obstetric complications 1.72 (0.72-4.10)
Institutional delivery 2.92 (2.09-4.06)
Referrals 0.57 (0.25-1.31)
Mean antenatal visits 0.90 (0.47-1.33)

Giguere 2012 [72] The distribution of published or printed recommendations for clinical care and evidence to inform practice, including clinical practice guidelines, journals and monographs. 14 RCTs
31 ITS
All health care professionals PEM vs. no intervention Yes
Practice outcomes: (categorical) Median absolute risk difference 0.02 (range 0, 0.11) i.e. 2% absolute improvement
Profession practice outcomes: (continuous) median improvement in standardised mean difference 0.13 (range -0.16, 0.36)

Forsetlund 2009 [53] We included the following types of educational meetings: conferences, lectures, workshops, seminars, symposia, and courses. Trials: 81 Qualified health professionals or health professionals in postgraduate training mostly in HIC Any intervention with educational meeting vs. no intervention: Yes 6% (1.8-15.9)
Compliance
Only educational meeting vs. no intervention:
Compliance 6% (2.9-15.3)
Achievement of treatment goal 3 (0.1-4)

Hulscher 2005 [54] Within the professional oriented interventions we distinguished between conceptually different interventions: information transfer, learning through social influence, feedback and reminders. RCT: 37
Quasi: 18
Family physicians, general internists, gynaecologists, obstetricians, pediatricians and sometimesother professionals like nurse practitioners and radiologists in HIC Preventive services:
Group education vs. no intervention Range: -4% - 31%
Multifaceted interventions versus group education Range: -31% - 28%

Hyde 2000 [55] Critical appraisal is the process of assessing and interpreting evidence by systematically considering its validity, results and relevance to an individual’s work. RCT:01
NRCT: 08
CBA: 07
Doctors, midwives, managers and researchers Knowledge Yes 0.10 (0.06-0.14)
Skills 14/16 comparisons showed positive effect
Attitude 4/4 comparisons showed positive impact

Lassi 2010 [39] Intervention packages that included additional training of outreach workers namely, female health workers/visitors, community midwives, community/village health workers, facilitators or TBAs in maternal care during pregnancy, delivery and in the postpartum period; and routine newborn care. 18 cluster-randomized/quasi-randomized trials Outreach workers namely, female health workers/visitors, community midwives, community/village health workers, facilitators or TBAs in LMIC Maternal mortality Yes 0.77 (0.59-1.02)
Maternal morbidity 0.75 (0.61-0.92)
Neonatal mortality 0.76 (0.68-0.84)
Perinatal mortality 0.80 (0.71-0.91)
Referral 1.4 (1.19-1.65)
Early breast feeding 1.94 (1.56-2.42)

Légaré 2010 [56] Interventions may include but are not limited to the distribution of printed educational material, educational meetings, audit and feedback, reminders, and patient-mediated interventions RCT’s:05 Healthcare professionals, residents, fellows, and other pre licensurehealthcare professional Adoption of shared decision making: No
Both patient mediated interventions 1.06 (0.62-1.5)
Multifaceted intervention vs usual care 2.11 (1.3-2.9)

Lugtenberg 2008 [57] CPGs were defined as ‘‘systematically developed statements to assist practitioner decisions about appropriate healthcare for specific clinical circumstances.’’ cRCT: 10, before after: 10, ITS: 1 Physicians Process outcomes No 17/19 studies showed significant improvements
Patient outcomes 6/9 studies showed significant but small improvements

Norman 1998 [58] The conscientious explicit and judicious use of current evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients RCT: 03
CT:06
Cohort: 01
Medical students, residents Undergraduate knowledge No Mean gain 17.0%; [SD] 4.0%).
Residents knowledge Mean gain 1.3%; SD 1.7%).

O’Brien 2007 [59] Educational outreach visits, defined as use of a trained person from outside the practice setting who meets with healthcare professionals in their practice settings to provide information with the intent of changing their performance. RCT: 69 Healthcare professionals Compliance Yes 5.6% (3.0-9.0%)
Prescribing 4.8% (3.0-6.5%)
Professional Performance 6.0% (3.6-(16.0)

Opiyo 2010 [60] Following in-service training courses aimed at changing provider behavior in the care of the seriously ill newborn or child: Neonatal and pediatric life support courses e.g. NLS, NRP, PALS, PLS, and others. Life support elements. Other in-service newborn and child health training courses aimed at the recognition and management of the seriously ill child RCT: 02 Doctors (general practitioners and specialists), nurses, pharmacists and dieticians/nutritionists, in outpatient or hospital-based settings in LMIC Performance of adequate initial resuscitation steps No 2.45 (1.75-3.42)
Frequency of inappropriate and potentially harmful practices 0.40 (0.13-0.66)

Oxman 1995 [61] Participation of health care providers in conferences, lectures, workshops or traineeships outside their practice settings. Trials: 17 General healthcare providers Change in health outcome and performance No Narrative

Reeves 2008 [62] An IPE intervention occurs when members of more than one health and/or social care profession learn interactively together, for the explicit purpose of improving inter-professional collaboration and/or the health/well being of patients/clients. RCT: 04
CBA: 02
Health and social care professionals Patient satisfaction No 4/6 reported positive outcomes
Collaborative team behavior
Reduction in clinical error

Sibley 2012 [73] Trained birth attendants training RCT: 6 Trained birth attendants Trained birth attendants versus untrained birth attendants: No Adjusted OR (95% CI)
Still births 0.69 (0.57 to 0.83)
Perinatal death 0.70 (0.59 to 0.83)
Maternal mortality 0.74 (0.45 to 1.22)
Referral 1.50 (1.18 to 1.90)
Neonatal deaths 0.71 (0.61 to 0.82)
Obstructed labor 1.26 (1.03 to 1.54)
Hemorrhage 0.61 (0.47 to 0.79)
Puerperal Sepsis 0.17 (0.13 to 0.23)

Smits 2002 [63] Educational intervention was problem based learning RCT’s: 06 Post graduate continuing education in HIC Participant’s knowledge, performance, satisfaction No Narrative
Patients health
Follow-up

Thomas 1999 [64] Effect of clinical guideline on behavior of nurses, midwives or PAM's, on patient outcomes RCT: 13
CBA: 2
ITS: 03
Nursing, midwifery, health visiting, podiatry, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, pharmacy and radiography General effectiveness No Narrative

Wensing 1998 [65] Information transfer through group education, reading material and patient education RCT: 39
CBA: 22
Physicians in HIC Effectiveness against the reported outcome measures No Narrative

Worral 1997 [66] Interventions to improve medical practice like dissemination strategies such as conferences or mailing 13 trials Physicians in HIC Conditions studies No 5/13 studies showed statistically significant results