Neonatal outcome in the United Arab Emirates: the effect of changes in resources and practices

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Medicine
• Public Health
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Neonatal care practices underwent selective improvements in the UAE between 1992-1998.
• These changes followed a comprehensive neonatal audit.
• The study period encompassed two distinct phases: 1992/1994 (period 1) and 1995/1998 (period 2).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of implemented improvements on neonatal mortality rate (NMR).
• To assess the effect of these changes on birth-weight-specific mortality rates.
• To analyze alterations in the causes of neonatal mortality.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of neonatal mortality data between two distinct time periods.
• Evaluation of neonatal mortality rate (NMR) and birth-weight-specific mortality rates.
• Assessment of causes of death in neonates across the study periods.

Main Results:

• An overall 17% decline in the neonatal mortality rate (NMR) was observed between period 1 and period 2.
• Significant reductions in mortality rates were noted for infants with birth weights < 1000 g (36% decrease) and > 2500 g (35% decrease).
• Modest, though not statistically significant, declines in mortality due to asphyxia, sepsis, and complications of preterm birth were recorded.

Conclusions:

• Selective improvements in neonatal care resources and practices were associated with a significant reduction in overall neonatal mortality.
• The interventions positively impacted mortality across different birth weight categories.
• Further investigation may be needed to achieve statistically significant reductions in mortality from specific causes like asphyxia and sepsis.