1. Assessment During training
Abstract Number: 113051
Skills Lab: New and Innovative Approach to Train Health Professionals in Low-Resource Settings
Dr. Arunabh Ray, Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Dr. Dinesh Baswal, Nel Druce
Background: Reduction of MMR, IMR, NMR, and TFR are the priority of Government of India and also has international commitment under SDGs. Various steps have been taken by GoI and the states together for accelerating the pace of decline of these key indicators, as a result of which there is a considerable reduction in these indicators, however for achieving international commitment there is a need to further accelerate the initiatives with a special focus on quality parameters of the interventions. Improvement in these indicators can only take place if the health care delivery system has technically competent health professionals providing critical MCH care. Availability of quality healthcare service delivery is very much reliant upon the competency of healthcare professionals. The current pedagogies followed during pre and in-service trainings have not been able to ensure that the healthcare professionals acquire the required skills essential to provide quality RMNCH+A care. Provision of services by such inadequately competent professionals will affect health outcomes and impede India’s progress towards achieving goals. Hence capacity building of service providers for making them proficient in technical skills and knowledge becomes key interventions for ensuring these desired outcomes. 
Methodology: Various types of skills based trainings are being implemented in India but the trainees are not exposed to adequate practicing of the skills on mannequins and equipments. Further there is limited focus on ascertaining the competencies acquired by the trainees’ after training due to lack of dedicated trainers and OSCE methods. In view of this, comprehensive skills lab with skill stations have been designed for skill building of service providers and improving the quality of RMNCH services. This initiative is also helping to improve the availability of skilled persons for wider coverage. Skills lab for healthcare professionals ensure hands on training in the requisite skills at the various skill stations. At the ‘skill stations’, exposure of a person to skill stations will depend upon the number of skills he/she is supposed to acquire. For instance, if an ANM or Nurse is exposed to 30 stations; a Medical Officer may be exposed to 40 or so (10, add on stations). The overall objectives of the Skill Lab are to facilitate acquisition of standardized skills and knowledge by service providers for RMNCH services, accelerate the availability of skilled personnel at health facilities, improve the quality of pre service training, provide CNE/CME and provide onsite mentoring by trained professionals. In the view of this, DFID in India supported establishment of two Skills Lab (RMNCH+A) in Bihar, India. These Skill Labs are state of art training centers and result of collaboration between Government of India, Government of Bihar and DFID for improving the quality of RMNCH+A services. Both the skills lab is fully operational and facilitating 6 days training from February The skills lab has 38 basic skills and 13 add-on skills stations. 6 days basic skills lab training is for all service providers involved in RMNCH+A services and posted at Delivery Points. 
Result: Target audience are State and District Trainers, Programme Managers and Planners, Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Pediatricians, Medical Officers, Staff Nurses, Auxiliary Nurse Midwife and other service providers. Till date 54 batches of training have been conducted in two skills lab covering 6 districts and two GNM schools in Bihar, India. Post assessment showed that service providers are more confident in providing RMNCH+A services particularly managing complications during delivery and post partum period.
Conclusion: Government of India has developed an operational guideline and planned to operationalise 150 Skills lab at national, state level and regional levels. This will accelerate the availability of skilled personnel at health facilities and provide onsite mentoring by trained professionals. 
Pre test
Assessment During training
Post Training OSCE
Certificate