A systematic review to assess the effectiveness of education and training in emergency obstetric care among the association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Background: The minimum care package required during pregnancy and childbirth in order to manage potentially life threatening complications is referred to as emergency obstetric care (EmOC) (WHO, 2009). EmOC education and training addresses the main causes of maternal death, stillbirth and early neonatal deaths. Evidence highlights that the provision of timely and quality EmOC can have a positive impact on maternal and infant morbidity and mortality.

Aim: This review aims to understand what interventions are more effective to deliver EmOC education and training in the ASEAN region and builds upon the work of Ameh et al (2019).

Method: A systematic review is underway, evaluating the effectiveness of education and training in EmOC in ASEAN. The database search includes CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus and the grey literature. Studies published in English and with an available full text, from 2018 onwards is eligible for inclusion. This review considers both experimental and quasi-experimental study designs. The WHO (2009) ‘Monitoring emergency obstetric care: a handbook’ will be utilised as a guide to appraise the level of education and training, identify key indicators and assess the suitability of the design to achieve these outcomes.

Proposed outcomes: The main outcome will be to evaluate if there has been a change in knowledge and/or skills.