Are Mentorship and Training the Key in Provision of Emergency Obstetric and New-Born Care (EmONC) Services? A Formative Evaluation of Pre and Post in Samburu County, Kenya

This study assessed the impact of mentorship and training on improving the delivery of Basic and Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (BEmONC and CeMONC) services in Samburu County, Kenya, where maternal and stillbirth rates remain high. A one-week training for health workers across 29 facilities was followed by mentorship, supervision, and monthly meetings. Post-intervention results showed significant improvements in clinical practices, including increased use of partographs (from 52% to 98.1%), better management of newborn infections, and enhanced capacity to perform cesarean sections and blood transfusions. Confidence in performing most BEmONC tasks improved, though manual vacuum procedures remained a challenge. The findings suggest that structured mentorship effectively builds health worker capacity, though further research is needed to assess long-term clinical outcomes.

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