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Table 6 Provider perceptions of task shifting using open-ended questions, by type of provider

From: Task shifting in maternal and newborn care: a non-inferiority study examining delegation of antenatal counseling to lay nurse aides supported by job aids in Benin

Topic area:

Advantages to task shifting:

Disadvantages to task shifting:

Suggestions to improve task shifting:

Skilled providers' responses a (n = 19b)

- Skilled providers have more time for clinical tasks*

- Facilitates the clinical work by enabling focus on clinical tasks that reduces fatigue

- Allows skilled workers to attend to urgent cases as needed*

- Improves the continuity of counseling even when the skilled provider is unavailable

- Requires provider confidence

- Increases/expands participation of all health workers in the provision of care*

- Nurse aides speak the local language(s), so decreases language barriers

- Sometimes it's possible that the counseling could be poorly done by the unskilled worker

- Difficult to implement in cases where there are severe shortages of both types of providers*

- Aides prolong antenatal consultation as a result of counseling

- Increase circulation of the counseling task among the nurse aides

- Post delegated task items for viewing

- Expand task shifting to other health centers*

- Improve site-level communication between cadres

- Allow skilled workers to perform counseling also

Lay nurse aides' responses a (n = 24c)

- Provides more clarity on what are the tasks/role of nurse aides*

- Have ability to conduct the counseling even in the absence of a skilled provider*

- Women like counseling by aides

- Improves the consultation - Allows aides to participate more in counseling activities

- Aides received new knowledge*

- Aides are more familiar/have more in common with the women from the community

- Aides appreciated being promoted to new service*

- Improved work relationship between providers

- Shortage of personnel makes it difficult to implement at times*

- Explore possibility of task shifting to nurse aides in other domains

- Increase the number of nurse aides*

- Improve supervision - Expand role of nurse aides at all sites*

  1. [a] The symbol (*) denotes that the response was commonly stated. [b] Only 19 providers (out of 21) were interviewed. All responded 'yes' when asked if they thought task shifting should be introduced at other sites. [c] Only 24 unskilled providers (out of 27) were interviewed. All responded 'yes' when asked if they thought task shifting should be introduced at other sites.