Telementoring initiative for newborn care providers in Kenya, Pakistan and Tanzania.

OBJECTIVES: To support governments' efforts at neonatal mortality reduction, UNICEF and the American Academy of Pediatrics launched a telementoring project in Kenya, Pakistan and Tanzania. METHODS: In Fall 2019, an individualised 12-session telementoring curriculum was created for East Africa and Pakistan after site visits that included care assessment, patient data review and discussion with faculty and staff. After the programme, participants, administrators and UNICEF staff were surveyed and participated in focus group discussions. RESULTS: Participants felt the programme improved knowledge and newborn care. Qualitative analysis found three common themes of successful telementoring: local buy-in, use of existing training or clinical improvement structures, and consideration of technology needs. CONCLUSIONS: Telementoring has potential as a powerful tool in newborn education. It offers more flexibility and easier access than in-person sessions. This project has the potential for scale-up, particularly when physical distancing and travel restrictions are the norm.

Global immunization systems strengthening through pediatric societies: the promise of private-public partnerships in Indonesia.

Vaccines are one of the most successful health interventions in history. Yet, vaccine-preventable diseases still claim the lives of 2.5 million individuals globally every year. Approximately 60% of the 19.4 million infants that did not have access to routine immunization services in 2018 live in 10 countries, one of which is Indonesia. In order to reach global targets, it is critical for countries such as Indonesia to prioritize, tailor, and operationalize vaccination strategies to address immunization gaps. Pediatricians and national pediatric societies (NPS) are trusted stakeholders in their countries and are uniquely qualified to promote vaccination programs. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) partnered with the Indonesian Pediatric Society (IPS), with support from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to initiate a multiyear project to build the capacity of IPS, individual members, and other child health clinicians to strategically advocate for improved immunization services across both public and private sectors.