Evaluating the long-term effectiveness of the Maternity Emergency Care course in remote Australia

SummaryBackgroundThe Council for Remote Area Nurses of Australia deliver the MEC course which is the only short-course on maternity emergencies offered to non-midwifery qualified remote area nurses and Aboriginal Health Workers. The aim of the course is to improve the maternity emergency skills and knowledge of health service providers who do not have midwifery qualifications. There has been no long-term evaluation of the course since its inception.Research objectiveTo review the longer-term effectiveness of the maternity emergency care (MEC) course which was developed in consultation with the Australian College of Midwives (ACM) and rural and remote practitioners in 2003.Participants and methodsFifty-seven clinicians who completed the MEC course since 2003 responded to a survey. Seven remote area health managers and two course facilitators were interviewed.ResultsThis study provides an evaluation of the experiences of non-midwives who manage maternity emergencies in the rural and remote setting; their perception of the skills, knowledge and confidence acquired through participation in the MEC program.ConclusionsThe MEC course is valued by both remote health managers and practitioners. The learning activities, skills and knowledge gained are reported to be very beneficial and used by remote health practitioners.