Adapted Helping Babies Breathe approach to neonatal resuscitation in Haiti: a retrospective cohort study

Background Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) is an American Academy of Pediatrics neonatal resuscitation program designed to reduce neonatal mortality in low resource settings. The 2017 neonatal mortality rate in Haiti was 28 per 1000 live births and an estimated 85 % of Haitian women deliver at home. Given this, the Community Health Initiative implemented an adapted HBB (aHBB) in Haiti to evaluate neonatal mortality. Methods Community Health Workers taught an aHBB program to laypeople, which didn’t include bag-valve-mask ventilation. Follow-up after delivery assessed for maternal and neonatal mortality and health. Results Analysis included 536 births of which 84.3 % (n=452) were attended by someone trained in aHBB. The odds of neonatal mortality was not significantly different among the two groups (aOR=0.48 [0.16-1.44]). Composite outcome of neonatal health as reported by the mother (subjective morbidity and mortality) was significantly lower in aHBB attended births (aOR=0.31 [0.14-0.70]). Conclusion This analysis of the aHBB program indicates that community training to laypersons in low resource settings may reduce neonatal ill-health but not neonatal mortality. This study is likely underpowered to find a difference in neonatal mortality. Further work is needed to evaluate which components of the aHBB program are instrumental in improving neonatal health.

Perinatal and Early Childhood Development

This chapter looks at the systems approach in addressing the dilemma of investing in neonatal health in resource constraints environment. Is investing in neonatal care the key to attaining sustainable development goals? Is it just or even just to invest in Neonatal care in the midst of competing interests? It applies causal loop diagrams as part of systems dynamics approach in seeking to identify the intended and intended consequences of investing in Neonatal Health. A look into countries have done well in Neonatal health and their investment early childhood education is done in order to give insight into the relationship between the investments.

Effectiveness of Early Essential Newborn Care Implementation In Four Provinces of Western China

Introduction: Neonatal survival remains a public health concern globally. Early Essential Newborn Care (EENC) recommended by World Health Organization is a package of cost-effective interventions to improve neonatal health and development outcomes. In this study we aimed to explore the effectiveness of EENC implementation in four provinces of western China.Methods: A pre- and post-intervention investigations were conducted in 4 selected EENC intervention counties and 4 control counties of four western provinces of China, during June to August 2017 and December 2020 to April 2021 respectively. A mixed quantitative and qualitative approach was used for data collection and analysis. Data on the coverage of EENC practices were collected through post-intervention face-to-face questionnaire interview with postpartum mothers before hospital discharge. Hospital-reported data on neonatal health outcomes were obtained through mail surveys in both investigations. We also performed semi-structured interviews with stakeholders of policymakers, health staff, and postpartum mothers to learn their perceived usefulness of EENC implementation. Results: 599 mother-newborn pairs in the intervention group and 699 pairs in the control group participated in the post-intervention survey. With the confounding factor of province being controlled for, proportions of newborns receiving any skin to skin contact (99.50% vs. 49.07%), exclusive breastfeeding before discharge (92.57% vs. 63.80%), no applied medicine to the umbilical cord (98.50% vs. 9.73%), routine eye care (93.16% vs. 8.73%), and vitamin K1 administration (98.33% vs. 88.98%) were higher in the intervention group compared with the control group (P<0.05). Lower incidences of neonatal diarrhea (0.07% vs. 0.22%) and eye infection (0.04% vs. 0.29%) were reported in the intervention group than the control group (P<0.05). The enhanced satisfaction of stakeholders primarily manifests in belief acknowledgement, policy promotion, emotional support, health improvement, widely-acknowledged sustainability, and work support. Conclusion: EEEC-recommended core practices have been successfully introduced in pilot hospitals. The efficacy of EENC implementation should be highly recognized to accelerate the progress towards its national rolling out.

Severe hypovitaminosis D in pregnant refugees arriving in Europe: neonatal outcomes and importance of prenatal intervention

Adequate vitamin D levels are particularly important in pregnant women for both the maternal and neonatal health. Prior studies have shown a significantly high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) among refugees. However, no study has addressed the prevalence of VDD in pregnant refugees and its effects on neonatal health. In this study, we examined the prevalence of VDD in refugee pregnant women living in Greece and compared our results with Greek pregnant inhabitants. Vitamin D deficiency was frequent in both groups but was significantly more common in refugees (92.2% vs 67.3% of Greek women, p=0.003) with 70.6% of refugees having severe hypovitaminosis D (<10 ng/ml). As a result, most newborns had Vitamin D deficiency, which affected refugee newborns to a greater extent. Our results suggest a need to screen newcomer children and pregnant women for vitamin D deficiency in all host countries around the world. Such a screen will appropriately guide early and effective interventions with the goal to prevent adverse neonatal and maternal outcomes.

The 4MOTHERS trial of the impact of a mobile money-based intervention on maternal and neonatal health outcomes in Madagascar: study protocol of a cluster-randomized hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial

Background Mobile money—a service enabling users to receive, store, and send electronic money using mobile phones—has been widely adopted across low- and middle-income economies to pay for a variety of services, including healthcare. However, evidence on its effects on healthcare access and health outcomes are scarce and the possible implications of using mobile money for financing and payment of maternal healthcare services—which generally require large one-time out-of-pocket payments—have not yet been systematically assessed in low-resource settings. The aim of this study is to determine the impact on health outcomes, cost-effectiveness, feasibility, acceptability, and usefulness of mobile phone-based savings and payment service, the Mobile Maternal Health Wallet (MMHW), for skilled healthcare during pregnancy and delivery among women in Madagascar. Methods This is a hybrid effectiveness-implementation type-1 trial, determining the effectiveness of the intervention while evaluating the context of its implementation in Madagascar’s Analamanga region, containing the capital, Antananarivo. Using a stratified cluster randomized design, 61 public-sector primary-care health facilities were randomized within 6 strata to either receive the intervention or not (29 intervention vs. 32 control facilities). The strata were defined by a health facility’s antenatal care visit volume and its capacity to offer facility-based deliveries. The registered pre-specified primary outcomes are (i) delivery at a health facility, (ii) antenatal care visits, and (iii) total healthcare expenditure during pregnancy, delivery, and neonatal period. The registered pre-specified secondary outcomes include additional health outcomes, economic outcomes, and measurements of user experience and satisfaction. Our estimated enrolment number is 4600 women, who completed their pregnancy between July 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021. A series of nested mixed-methods studies will elucidate client and provider perceptions on feasibility, acceptability, and usefulness of the intervention to inform future implementation efforts. Discussion A cluster-randomized, hybrid effectiveness-implementation design allows for a robust approach to determine whether the MMHW is a feasible and beneficial intervention in a resource-restricted public healthcare environment. We expect the results of our study to guide future initiatives and health policy decisions related to maternal and neonatal health and universal healthcare coverage through technology in Madagascar and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Trial registration This trial was registered on March 12, 2021: Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien (German Clinical Trials Register), identifier: DRKS00014928. For World Health Organization Trial Registration Data Set see Additional file 1.

Effect of the Iranian Health Sector Evolution Plan Implementation Focused on the Type of Delivery on Maternal and Neonatal Health Indicators in Selected Hospitals of East Azerbaijan Province

Background: Health systems are making reforms to ensure and promote public health. Measuring the effects of reform is one way to determine its effectiveness and consequences. Objectives: This study was aimed at investigating the effect of the Iranian Health Sector Evolution Plan (HSEP) implementation with a focus on the type of delivery on maternal and neonatal health indicators in East-Azerbaijan Province. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2017. The data of 800 patients were randomly selected through the dataset of eight hospitals equally in the two time periods of before and after the HSEP implementation. A researcher-made checklist was used for data extraction. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 22 using descriptive statistics, t-test, and chi-square. Results: The mean age of the mothers in both periods was 27 years. Most of the participants did not have a previous delivery and had a diploma or a lower level of education. The rate of natural childbirth increased from 34.5% (before the HSEP) to 44.2% (after the HSEP) (P < 0.05). Maternal and neonatal mortality rates decreased from 0.3 and 0.8% to 0.0 and 0.5%, respectively. Maternal and neonatal mortality and stillbirth rates were not significantly different based on the study period and type of delivery (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The findings indicated a significant increase in the rate of natural childbirth after the HSEP implementation. Maternal and neonatal mortality rates had also decreased. These results can guide policymakers in deciding whether to continue or review the reform.

Neonatal outcomes of obstetric complications

Background/Aims Neonatal mortality remains a global challenge. In Ghana, neonatal mortality accounts for up to 50% of child mortality. A better understanding of the neonatal outcomes of obstetrics complications could contribute to context-specific evidence-based care to prevent neonatal deaths. This study aimed to describe the relationship between poor neonatal outcomes and obstetric complications in a tertiary health facility in the north of Ghana. Methods This was a cross-sectional quantitative study conducted at a tertiary health facility in northern Ghana. Purposive convenience sampling was used to select 384 mothers who experienced obstetric complications. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on the participants' neonatal health outcomes. The chi-square test was performed to determine the relationship between neonatal health outcomes and obstetric complications, with significance set at P<0.05. Results A total of 20 obstetric complications were recorded. Overall, 327 participants had a single complication. The three most common obstetric complications resulting in adverse neonatal outcomes were obstructed labour (56.0%), pregnancy-induced hypertension (14.6%) and postpartum haemorrhage (11.6%). The majority (66.7%) of the neonates were healthy at birth, with 21.9% and 11.5% being sick or stillborn respectively. Obstetric complications were significantly associated with both neonatal morbidities and mortalities at P<0.000. Conclusions Preventable maternal obstetric complications continue to cause adverse neonatal outcomes in health facilities in Ghana. Appraisal of maternal and newborn care practices may be necessary to understand context-specific factors.