Using health facility deaths to estimate population causes of neonatal and child mortality in four African countries

Birth asphyxia is under-rated as a cause of preterm neonatal mortality in low- and middle-income countries: A prospective, observational study from PURPOSe

OBJECTIVE

To assess respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) compared with birth asphyxia as the cause of death in preterm newborns, assigned by the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) physician at the time of death and assigned by a panel with complete obstetric history, placental evaluation, tissue histology and microbiology.

DESIGN

Prospective, observational study.

SETTINGS

Study NICUs in India and Pakistan.

POPULATION

Preterm infants delivered in study facility.

METHODS

A total of 410 preterm infants who died in the NICU with cause of death ascertained by the NICU physicians and independently by expert panels. We compared the percentage of cases assigned RDS versus birth asphyxia as cause of death by the physician and the panel.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

RDS and birth asphyxia.

RESULTS

Of 410 preterm neonatal deaths, the discharging NICU physicians found RDS as a cause of death among 83.2% of the cases, compared with the panel finding RDS in only 51.0%. In the same neonatal deaths, the NICU physicians found birth asphyxia as a cause of death in 14.9% of the deaths, whereas the panels found birth asphyxia in 57.6% of the deaths. The difference was greater in Pakistan were the physicians attributed 89.7% of the deaths to RDS and less than 1% to birth asphyxia whereas the panel attributed 35.6% of the deaths to RDS and 62.7% to birth asphyxia.

CONCLUSIONS

NICU physicians who reported cause of death in deceased preterm infants less often attributed the death to birth asphyxia, and instead more often chose RDS, whereas expert panels with more extensive data attributed a greater proportion of deaths to birth asphyxia than did the physicians.

Verbal/social autopsy analysis of causes and determinants of under-5 mortality in Tanzania from 2010 to 2016

Background

Tanzania has decreased its child mortality rate by more than 70 percent in the last three decades and is striving to develop a nationally-representative sample registration system with verbal autopsy to help focus health policies and programs toward further reduction. As an interim measure, a verbal and social autopsy study was conducted to provide vital information on the causes and social determinants of neonatal and child deaths.

Methods

Causes of neonatal and 1-59 month-old deaths identified by the 2015-16 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey were assessed using the expert algorithm verbal autopsy method. The social autopsy examined prevalence of key household, community and health system indicators of preventive and curative care provided along the continuum of care and Pathway to Survival models. Careseeking for neonates and 1-59 month-olds was compared, and tests of associations of age and cause of death to careseeking indicators and place of death were conducted.

Results

The most common causes of death of 228 neonates and 351 1-59 month-olds, respectively, were severe infection, intrapartum related events and preterm delivery, and pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria. Coverage of early initiation of breastfeeding (24%), hygienic cord care (29%), and full immunization of 12-59 month-olds (33%) was problematic. Most (88.8%) neonates died in the first week, including 44.3% in their birth facility before leaving. Formal care was sought for just 41.9% of newborns whose illness started at home and was delayed by 5.3 days for 1-59 month-olds who sought informal care. Care was less likely to be sought for the youngest neonates and infants and severely ill children. Although 70.3% of 233 under-5 year-olds were moderately or severely ill on discharge from their first provider, only 29.0%-31.2% were referred.

Conclusions

The study highlights needed actions to complete Tanzania’s child survival agenda. Low levels of some preventive interventions need to be addressed. The high rate of facility births and neonatal deaths requires strengthening of institutionally-based interventions targeting maternal labor and delivery complications and neonatal causes of death. Scale-up of Integrated Community Case Management should be considered to strengthen careseeking for the youngest newborns, infants and severely ill children and referral practices at first level facilities.

Critical Interpretive Synthesis of Qualitative Data on the Health Care Ecosystem for Vulnerable Newborns in Low- to Middle-Income Countries

OBJECTIVE

To critically assess and synthesize qualitative findings regarding the health care ecosystem for vulnerable (low-birth-weight or sick) neonates in low- to middle-income countries (LMICs).

DATA SOURCES

Between May 4 and June 2, 2020, we searched four databases (Medline [PubMed], SCOPUS, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) for articles published from 2010 to 2020. Inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed reports of original studies focused on the health care ecosystem for vulnerable neonates in LMICs. We also searched the websites of several international development agencies and included findings from primary data collected between May and July 2019 at a tertiary hospital in Kenya. We excluded studies and reports if the focus was on healthy neonates or high-income countries and if they contained only quantitative data, were written in a language other than English, or were published before 2010.

STUDY SELECTION

One of the primary authors conducted an initial review of titles and abstracts (n = 102) and excluded studies that were not consistent with the purpose of the review (n = 60). The two primary authors used a qualitative appraisal checklist to assess the validity of the remaining studies (n = 42) and reached agreement on the final 13 articles.

DATA EXTRACTION

The two primary authors independently conducted open and axial coding of the data. We incorporated data from studies with different units of analysis, types of methodology, research topics, participant types, and analytical frameworks in an emergent conceptual development process according to the critical interpretive synthesis methodology.

DATA SYNTHESIS

We synthesized our findings into one overarching theme, Pervasive Turbulence Is a Defining Characteristic of the Health Care Ecosystem in LMICs, and two subthemes: Pervasive Turbulence May Cause Tension Between the Setting and the Caregiver and Pervasive Turbulence May Result in a Loss of Synergy in the Caregiver-Parent Relationship.

CONCLUSION

Because pervasive turbulence characterizes the health care ecosystems in LMICs, interventions are needed to support the caregiver-parent interaction to mitigate the effects of tension in the setting.