Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Dec 20;7(12):e08641.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08641. eCollection 2021 Dec.

Preparedness for neonatal emergencies at birth and associated factors among healthcare providers working at hospitals in northwest Ethiopia: A multi-center cross-sectional study

Azmeraw Ambachew Kebede  1 , Birhan Tsegaw Taye  2 , Kindu Yinges Wondie  1 , Agumas Eskezia Tiguh  1 , Getachew Azeze Eriku  3 , Muhabaw Shumye Mihret  1
Affiliations

Preparedness for neonatal emergencies at birth and associated factors among healthcare providers working at hospitals in northwest Ethiopia: A multi-center cross-sectional study

Azmeraw Ambachew Kebede et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

Background: Neonatal mortality remains a public health concern, especially in Southern Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite substantial efforts, the neonatal mortality rate is increasing from 29 per 1000 live births in 2016 to 33 per 1000 live births in 2019 in Ethiopia. To avert this unacceptably high mortality, the healthcare provider's readiness for neonatal emergencies at birth is crucial. Hence, this study aimed to assess healthcare providers' preparedness for neonatal emergencies at birth in northwest Ethiopia.

Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted at hospitals in northwest Ethiopia from November 15/2020 to March 10/2021. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 406 study participants. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire, and direct observation and chart review using standardized checklists. The data were then entered into EPI INFO version 7.1.2 and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were undertaken. The level of significance was claimed based on the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95 % confidence interval (CI) at a p-value of ≤0.05.

Results: The proportion of healthcare providers having adequate preparedness for neonatal emergencies was 60.1% (95% CI: 55.3, 64.8). The final model analysis illustrates that healthcare providers who received neonatal resuscitation training (AOR = 2.87; 95% CI: 1.74, 7.74) and working at the general hospital (AOR = 5.2; 95% CI: 1.96, 13.8) were adequately prepared for neonatal emergencies. On the other hand, healthcare providers who complained about workload or shortage of staff (AOR = 0.41; 95% CI: 0.26, 0.66) were poorly prepared for neonatal emergencies.

Conclusion: In this study, about two-fifths of the healthcare providers were inadequately prepared for neonatal emergencies at birth. Strengthening the provision of neonatal resuscitation training, deploying adequate healthcare professionals, and reducing the healthcare provider's workload would improve healthcare providers' preparedness for neonatal emergencies.

Keywords: Ethiopia; Healthcare provider; Neonatal emergencies; Preparedness.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Estimation UNIG for CM . Levels & Trends in Child Mortality: Report 2020, Estimates Developed by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation. United Nations Children’s Fund; 2020. United nations inter-agency group for child mortality estimation (EUN IGM) New. Published online.
    1. Graft-johnson J De, Vesel L., Rosen H.E., et al. Cross-sectional observational assessment of quality of newborn care immediately after birth in health facilities across six sub-Saharan African countries. BMJ Open. 2017;7 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Smith-greenaway E., Trinitapoli J. Vol. 117. 2020. Maternal cumulative prevalence measures of child mortality show heavy burden in sub-Saharan Africa; pp. 4027–4033. (8) - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ethiopia Mini Demographic and Health Survey Key Indicators. EPHI and ICF; Rockville, Maryland, USA: 2019.
    1. Health sector transformation plan II 2020/2021-2024/2025. Ethiop. Minist. Health. 2021;25(February):1–128.

LinkOut - more resources