Telementoring initiative for newborn care providers in Kenya, Pakistan and Tanzania

Objectives: To support governments' efforts at neonatal mortality reduction, UNICEF and the American Academy of Pediatrics launched a telementoring project in Kenya, Pakistan and Tanzania.

Methods: In Fall 2019, an individualised 12-session telementoring curriculum was created for East Africa and Pakistan after site visits that included care assessment, patient data review and discussion with faculty and staff. After the programme, participants, administrators and UNICEF staff were surveyed and participated in focus group discussions.

Results: Participants felt the programme improved knowledge and newborn care. Qualitative analysis found three common themes of successful telementoring: local buy-in, use of existing training or clinical improvement structures, and consideration of technology needs.

Conclusions: Telementoring has potential as a powerful tool in newborn education. It offers more flexibility and easier access than in-person sessions. This project has the potential for scale-up, particularly when physical distancing and travel restrictions are the norm.