New technologies for essential newborn care in under-resourced areas: what is needed and how to deliver it

Area of Science:

• Neonatal health
• Medical technology
• Global health

Background:

• Preterm birth, intrapartum complications, and infection are leading causes of neonatal mortality worldwide.
• Existing neonatal healthcare technologies are often unsuitable for low-resource settings, hindering access to quality care.
• There is a critical need for affordable, durable, and easy-to-use technologies for neonatal care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the unmet technology needs in neonatal healthcare for low-resource settings.
• To emphasize the importance of developing and implementing appropriate medical technologies for neonates.
• To advocate for integrated technology solutions and collaborative development processes.

Main Methods:

• Review of current neonatal mortality causes and existing healthcare technology limitations.
• Identification of essential requirements for neonatal technologies in resource-limited environments.
• Analysis of the need for integrated technology packages and implementation research.

Main Results:

• Key preventable causes of neonatal death include hypothermia, respiratory distress, infection, jaundice, and hypoglycemia.
• Many current technologies fail to meet the criteria of being low-cost, robust, simple, and adaptable to various power sources.
• Unmet needs persist despite ongoing development efforts.

Conclusions:

• Integrated sets of neonatal health technologies, rather than isolated components, are vital for significant impact.
• Effective and sustainable implementation requires close stakeholder collaboration and a strong focus on implementation research.
• Addressing technology gaps is essential to reduce neonatal mortality and improve global health outcomes.