Improving healthcare providers' sexual and reproductive health skills
Evaluating the effects of reproductive health training on provider behavior
This project trains nursing, midwifery, and medical students in Tanzania in sexual and reproductive health so they can provide safer, more effective care for people at risk of HIV and other infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Minnesota NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11393971 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
At Muhimbili University in Tanzania, researchers developed a sexual health curriculum tailored to the local context and delivered it to healthcare students. They ran a randomized trial with 412 nursing, midwifery, and medical students to compare trained students with untrained controls. Three-month follow-up showed the trained students had better sexual health knowledge, improved attitudes, and stronger clinical skills. The renewal work aims to measure longer-term effects and support wider adoption of the curriculum.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are nursing, midwifery, and medical students or trainee healthcare providers based at Muhimbili University or similar training programs in Tanzania.
Not a fit: Patients who do not interact with trainees or providers reached by this curriculum, or those outside the geographic area of the program, are unlikely to see direct benefits from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could receive more informed, respectful, and effective sexual and reproductive health care, which may lower HIV and STI risk and improve overall sexual health outcomes.
How similar studies have performed: An earlier randomized trial at MUHAS showed moderate-to-large improvements in knowledge, attitudes, and clinical skills among trained students, supporting this follow-up work.
Where this research is happening
Minneapolis, United States
- University of Minnesota — Minneapolis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rosser, B R Simon — University of Minnesota
- Study coordinator: Rosser, B R Simon
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.