Combining quality improvement and critical care training: Evaluating an ICU CPR training programme quality improvement initiative at the National Hospital in Tanzania.

Background: The United Republic of Tanzania has had a 41.4% mortality rate in the intensive care unit. In Tanzania, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has implemented quality improvement (QI), yet the Tanzanian health sector continues to face resource constraints, unsustainable projects and gaps in knowledge and skills, contributing to unacceptably high mortality rates for Tanzanian patients. This research aims to determine if a Critical Care Training Program incorporating QI concepts can improve technical competence and self-efficacy of providers in a critical care setting in Tanzania.

Methods: A 2-day Critical Care Training Program was developed for providers. It included the following modules: vital signs directed therapy (VSDT), cardiopulmonary and brain resuscitation (CPBR), blood glucose monitoring, introduction to critical care concepts and the QI concept of change management. For analysis, data were collected from pretests and post-tests and reported in REDCap. Descriptive statistics and paired t-tests were performed (alpha=0.05).

Results: A total of 77 nurses and three providers attended the training. The overall score changes among participants for CPBR and VSDT were significant (p<0.001). Six out of 10 questions in CPBR demonstrated significant improved change (p<0.001). All questions in the VSDT training showed significant improvement (p<0.001). Based on hospital guidelines, 63 (95.5%) passed the CPBR evaluation and 62 (95.2%) passed VSDT.

Conclusion: A pre/post analysis demonstrated improvement in knowledge, skills and increased confidence towards emergencies. This study suggests a Critical Care Training Program significantly improves the knowledge among providers and that QI impacts culture of change. This research exemplifies a systematic approach to strengthening capacity of critical care delivery in limited resource settings, with implications for further innovation in other low- and middle-income countries.