3081.0 Assessing training effectiveness for implementing a verbal autopsy program in northwest Syria using the 2022 who questionnaire

Session: Innovations and Solutions in Global and International Health Poster Session

Program: International Health

Time: 10:30 - 11:30 AM

Presenter:

Ahmad Saleh, MD, MPH

Abstract

Objective: To measure the effectiveness of a comprehensive three-day training program developed for implementing a Verbal Autopsy project in Northwest Syria.

Methods: Our team developed a three-day interactive training program for the HIS-Unit leadership who acted as Supervisors in a Training of Trainers (ToT) model. The first day was dedicated to describing VA, its applications, the 2022 WHO VA Questionnaire, and a review of technical requirements. The second day focused on the responsibilities of interviewers and supervisors and ethical and sensitivity training. The final day was dedicated to the practical application of VA through role-play.

Surveys: Prior to the training, a 23-question “Pre-test” was administered assessing the following 6 topics: VA definitions & uses, VA analysis software, Interview candidate selection, VA interview skills & characteristics, VA questionnaire maneuver, and Ethical considerations. Likewise, after completion of the training a “Post-test” was promptly administered with the exact same questions. Scores and answers to the questions were not provided so as to not bias Post-test results.

Results: A total of 6 participants completed the Pre-test and 4 completed the Post-test. The Post-test results (mean = 18 ± 0.8) showed improvements over the Pre-test results (mean = 15.3 ± 1.5) which were statistically significant at the 0.05 level (p= 0.007, 95% CI: -4.374, -0.959).

Discussion: To our knowledge, there exists no literature on the use of surveys as a measure to assess effectiveness of training programs for VA projects. Our results indicate there was a positive impact of our training, although the sample size was too small to make any further claims. Based on this work our hopes are that 1) the supervisors will then administer a similar training program to the interviewers in NS with similar benefits and 2) we develop a standardized VA training program that consistently yields similar positive results in other applications.

MakeDeathsCount (MDC): This experience inspired us to establish our organization, MakeDeathsCount (MDC). By utilizing our experience in NS, we ultimately aim to help similar nations, with absent or underrepresented mortality surveillance systems, into developing a valid and reliable CRVS system.