Globally, the demand for acute care is surging, disproportionately burdening low- and middle-income countries. Training for healthcare providers can play a pivotal role in reducing related mortality and improving overall health and well-being, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the potential for impact, the World Health Organization- International Committee of the Red Cross (WHO-ICRC) Basic Emergency Care (BEC) course is yet to be fully rolled out in Francophone African nations such as Cameroon, Djibouti, Haiti, Morocco, and Tunisia. In this paper, we describe the introduction of this training in these countries. This study utilized pre- and post-course surveys to gauge change in knowledge and confidence in delivering acute care. A comprehensive 4-day French BEC course and a concise 1-day Training of Trainer (ToT) course were delivered in Yaounde, Cameroon, in early 2023. Participants undertook surveys pre- and post-training, offering insights into their acute care knowledge, skills, and self-assurance. The courses were attended by 50 participants. The post-course evaluation highlighted a marked improvement in scores, showcasing a median score elevation from 72% pre-course to 88% post-course (p < 0.001). Participants’ self-confidence in handling acute care scenarios doubled. Universal acclaim was received for the quality of training materials, courses, and facilitation methodology, with nearly half feeling no amendment was necessary in the course design. However, 30% felt a longer duration should be dedicated to the practical/skills components of the course. The WHO-ICRC BEC course significantly enhanced the acute care knowledge, skills, and self-confidence of participants from these five countries, laying a solid foundation for future training sessions. Provisional trainers are now proficient in expanding such training within their regions. Evaluating patient outcomes post-training presents significant challenges, highlighting a crucial area for future research and scrutiny.

Primary health care (PHC) nurses handle preventative care and emergencies, despite the latter not being their focus. Upskilling in basic emergency care is essential as PHC facilities serve as the first point of care. The World Health Organization and International Committee of the Red Cross developed a Basic Emergency Care (BEC) course, but its suitability for Gauteng PHC nursing staff remains unknown. This study assessed the BEC course's impact on nurses' knowledge, confidence, and competence in emergency care at selected Gauteng PHC facilities. A pre-post intervention design was used with purposive sampling of eighty-six nurses who completed the BEC course from three emergency departments. Data collection occurred April-June 2024. Knowledge, confidence and competence were assessed using pre- and post-course surveys and knowledge tests, plus a final evaluation with 6 open-ended questions. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, correlational analyses, and inferential methods to determine statistical significance of observed variations. The study included N = 86 nurses across various categories. Knowledge scores significantly increased from 55.1% pre-test to 78.8% post-test. Self-perceived competence and confidence improved from 2.72 to 3.54 post-course. ANOVA revealed significant relationships between nurse categories and scores in pre-tests (p = 0.004) and post-tests (p < 0.001). Post-test confidence also varied significantly between categories (p = 0.046). Content analysis of open-ended responses identified four themes: "Correcting wrongs", "Extremely congested course", "Contextual relevance" and "Skills update." The results highlight significant knowledge gains for all nurses who received BEC training. However, differences in performance between nurse categories suggest a need for further exploration and consideration of how to accommodate different categories of nurses. While nurses found the course highly useful and relevant, content loading and course duration should be considered.

Background: Basic emergency care is an important component of health system strengthening in resource-limited settings in sub-Saharan Africa. Objectives: This scoping review mapped and synthesised evidence on the implementation, capacity-building approaches, and policy implications of the WHO/ICRC Basic Emergency Care (BEC) course in the region. Methods: Twenty studies from 13 countries were included. Reported facilitators of BEC implementation included perceived relevance to frontline practice, practical and structured course content, contextual adaptation, mentorship, and training-of-trainers or cascade approaches. Reported barriers included time constraints, staffing shortages, limited infrastructure and emergency care resources, and technological challenges affecting digital reinforcement strategies. Across studies, BEC was generally associated with short-term improvements in provider knowledge, confidence, and perceived competence. However, implementation outcomes were reported inconsistently and were largely limited to acceptability, feasibility, and appropriateness, with less evidence on adoption, cost, penetration, and sustainability. Evidence on longer-term retention, practice change, patient outcomes, and broader system-level impact remained limited. Conclusions: Overall, BEC appears to be a potentially useful and context-appropriate approach to strengthening frontline emergency care training, but stronger longitudinal and implementation-focused evaluations are needed.