P3.078: Bridging Knowledge and Skills Gap on Newborn Jaundice for Healthcare Workers and Caregivers in Rural Ghana

Background: Neonatal jaundice remains a significant cause of morbidity in low-resource settings. Early identification and treatment prevent jaundice-associated disability. Rising newborn jaundice cases with late presentations in the Biakoye District (BD), Ghana, are worsened by existing myths, knowledge, and skills gaps among healthcare workers and caregivers. BD was selected as a pilot to build local capacity through targeted educational interventions in partnership with the Oti Regional Health Directorate and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) International Community Access to Child Health (ICATCH).

Methods: This ongoing 3-year educational project aims to improve healthcare workers’ knowledge, competence, and practice in the early identification and management of newborn jaundice. A structured 3-day workshop used didactics, case-based scenarios, video discussions, and role-playing. Pre- and post-surveys assessed participants’ demographics, knowledge levels, self-rated competence, perceived training impact, and satisfaction. Caregiver engagement addressed awareness, myths, and early help-seeking through media, durbars, and antenatal/postnatal education.

Results: The total number of participants for 2 years was 326, with 90% response surveys. 76% were female, and 24% were male. 60.7% had been in practice less than 5 years. Participants were multidisciplinary, mostly midwives (37.8%), general nurses (30.9%), and community health nurses (14.6%), with a smaller proportion of physician assistants, health promotion officers, medical doctors, and others. 93.5% of Year 1 participants had not received jaundice training in the preceding 12 months, compared to 41.7% in Year 2. Pre-survey results revealed limited prior knowledge, with first-timers more likely to rate their knowledge as “Basic” (57.8%) than returnees (43.1%). 44% of Year 2 participants were returnees and rated 2.5 times at “Advance” knowledge (14.6%) than Year 1(5.8%). Perceived impact on knowledge was high (M = 4.78, SD = 0.42), competence (M = 4.66, SD = 0.48), and practice (M = 4.59, SD = 0.52) compared to first-timers (M = 4.72, SD = 0.68; M = 4.55, SD = 0.69; M = 4.50, SD = 0.53). These differences were not statistically significant (p = .543, .236, and .324, respectively), with small effect sizes (Cohen’s d = 0.55, 0.58, and 0.53), but suggests the workshop had a similar impact with consistency regardless of prior attendance. Participants (62%) intended practice change by implementing revised or created protocols. All participants (100%) indicated they would recommend it to others with 99.6% overall satisfaction. Local “Jaundice Champions” were identified, and a contextually adapted caregiver communication tool was developed for routine use.

Conclusion: The workshop improved healthcare workers’ self-reported knowledge, competence, and intent to change practice in newborn jaundice management with consistent, hands-on, and tailored training. These gains will require continued mentorship, refresher training, community outreach, and support for local champions.