Training course on the inpatient management of severe acute malnutrition: course director’s guide

Overview

Around 45% of deaths among children under 5 years of age are linked to undernutrition. One of the strategies to reduce the mortality rate attributed to wasting is to train health workers in the management of severe acute malnutrition based on the latest WHO guidance.

This training course on hospital-based management of children with severe acute malnutrition is intended for health personnel working in hospitals and health facilities at central and district level, including physicians, nurses, and nutritionists.  This course includes 7 training modules, the course director’s guide, the clinical instructor’s guide, the facilitator’s guide, and supporting materials. It is an update of the WHO Training course on the management of severe malnutrition from 2002 and 2009. Information on the organization of the course can be found in the course director’s guide and module 1: Introduction.

This updated the training course includes recommendations from the 2013 guideline updates on the management of severe acute malnutrition in infants and children.

The course director’s guide presents the structure and necessary materials to plan and make administrative arrangements for the course. It also explains what is necessary for the clinical practice sessions; provides guidance for the training for facilitators and presents activities to train facilitators in the teaching approaches to be used during the modules.