Standardizing and Scaling Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Treatment of Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) Through Quality Improvement (QI) and Tele-Mentoring

Danielle Ehret of the Vermont Oxford Network in the U.S. in collaboration with Krista Donaldson of Equalize Health also in the U.S. and Mahlet Abayneh of the Ethiopian Pediatrics Society, will develop a web-based clinical training course to train staff in neonatal intensive care units in Ethiopia to better recognize respiratory distress syndrome in preterm infants, and to safely deliver continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to reduce mortality rates. Respiratory distress syndrome causes almost half of all preterm deaths in neonatal units in Ethiopia. These would be preventable if the staff had received adequate clinical training. However, the recent pandemic forced a halt to the national hands-on training program that was planned in 2020. As an alternative, they will host monthly training webinars focused on diagnosis and treatment, and develop an observation checklist to assess the quality of CPAP delivery. They will evaluate their approach by quantifying staff training rates, diagnoses of respiratory distress syndrome, and treatment and mortality rates.