[Qualifications of examiners for first neonatal exam in Germany: status quo]

Midwives as well as medical doctors may carry out the initial examination of a newborn after birth in accordance with German health care regulation and guidelines. However, it is unclear which profession based on which qualification is performing these examinations in current clinical practice.The aim of the study was to assess which professions are carrying out the initial examinations of a newborn in the largest German maternity hospitals as of today.University maternity hospitals and maternity hospitals with more than 2000 births in 2021 were asked to anwer a webbased questionnaire. A chi-square test was used for group comparisons.77 out of 111 contacted maternity hospitals participated. In total, five different professions carry out Apgar scores and the initial neonatal examinations in a healthy newborn in the largest German maternity hospitals. In 92% of maternity hospitals, midwives regularly collect Apgar scores. In most hospitals, initial examinations of the newborn are also regularly carried out by midwives (74%), but significantly less often than Apgar scores (p≤0,001). University and non-university maternity hospitals do not differ significantly in the rate at which midwives performed Apgar scores (93.9% vs. 90.9%, p=0.623) and initial examinations of the newborn (72.7% vs. 75%, p=0.822).Midwives are the predominant medical profession carrying out initial examinations of the newborn in German maternity hospitals as of today. Thus, they should also be the primary target group for quality assurance and quality improvement measures for these examinations in in the future.