Immunization Staff Training Needs Assessment: An Overview Of Findings From Cameroon

BackgroundIn recent years, Cameroons Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) has witnessed a sizable decline in its performance. Many stakeholders have cited weaknesses in human resources as one of the major drivers for the observed trend. In a bid to better understand and redress this situation, the EPI and its partners conducted a Training Needs Assessment (TNA) among central, regional, and district staff. The assessment aimed to quantify and characterize core capability gaps and leverage the findings to design an evidence-based capacity-building plan. MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using aggregated data from a survey carried out among EPI staff from May to September 2016 across Cameroons health pyramid - central, regional, and district levels; and analysis was done using Microsoft Office Excel 2016. ResultsOver half of EPI staff had worked for less than three years in their current post, and roughly three-third of them did not receive pre-service training on vaccination. Additionally, about half of them had not received any form of in-service training on immunization. Supportive supervision was the most frequently cited topic for training, with a surprisingly higher need at the central level (80%). Financial incentive was not a primary motivating factor for learning. Approximately half of the respondents at all levels were not aware of onboarding materials. Most of the respondents identified multiple meetings, high staff turnover, and competing priorities as major barriers to learning. Only about half of surveyed staff reported participating in performance reviews, with nearly half of these reviews conducted when an opportunity arose. ConclusionThere are still many gaps challenging the EPI goal achievement in Cameroon. Sustainably addressing these issues will require a comprehensive framing of capability-building activities. High-quality EPI human resources will boost the countrys vaccination performance and contribute to the reduction of infant mortality in the country.