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Newborn Early Warning Systems in Screening and Detection of Neonatal Emergencies: A Bibliometric Analysis
Eri Wijaya1, Esti Nugraheny1, Suparmi1
1Research Center for Public Health and Nutrition, National Research and Innovation Agency, Bogor, Indonesia.
Insights
Newborn Early Warning Systems (NEWS) aid in recognizing infant health decline. Research shows a need to expand NEWS use beyond hospitals, especially in low-income countries, to improve infant survival rates.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Health Research
- Global Health Monitoring
- Clinical Decision Support Systems
Background:
- Neonatal mortality is a critical global health issue, particularly in LMICs.
- Delayed recognition of infant deterioration leads to poor outcomes.
- Newborn Early Warning Systems (NEWS) are vital for detecting physiological instability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To map the global research landscape of Newborn Early Warning Systems (NEWS).
- To analyze publication trends, key journals, and leading contributors.
- To identify emerging research themes in NEWS.
Main Methods:
- Bibliometric analysis of publications from 1964-2025.
- Utilized Scopus database for data retrieval.
- Employed OpenRefine, RStudio, VOSviewer, and Tableau for data processing and analysis.
Main Results:
- 346 publications identified with steady annual growth (5.27%) and high citation impact (26.75 citations/document).
- Research predominantly originates from high-income countries (74.3%), with limited LMIC contributions (21.7%).
- Most studies are hospital-based, focusing on pediatric critical care and quality improvement.
Conclusions:
- Keyword analysis identified four main research clusters: clinical monitoring, epidemiology, diagnostics, and acute care.
- NEWS effectively supports early recognition of neonatal deterioration and intervention.
- There is a critical need to adapt and implement NEWS in primary and community healthcare settings, especially in LMICs, to enhance neonatal outcomes.
Background:
Neonatal mortality remains a major global health challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where preventable causes account for a significant proportion of deaths. Delayed recognition of clinical deterioration contributes to adverse outcomes, highlighting the importance of reliable monitoring tools. Newborn Early Warning Systems (NEWS) have been developed to support early detection of physiological instability and have demonstrated effectiveness in neonatal care settings.
Aim:
This study aimed to map the global research landscape on NEWS by analysing publication trends, leading journals, contributing countries and institutions, and emerging thematic areas.
Study Design:
A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Scopus database, with data processed in OpenRefine and analysed using RStudio, VOSviewer and Tableau.
Results:
From 1964 to 2025, 346 publications were identified, showing steady annual growth (5.27%) and high citation impact (26.75 citations per document). Research output was predominantly from high-income countries (74.3%), whereas LMIC contributions remained limited (21.7%). Most studies were hospital-based, focusing on paediatric critical care and quality improvement.
Conclusions:
Keyword analysis revealed four main clusters: clinical monitoring, epidemiology, diagnostics and acute care. Despite growing interest, NEWS studies remain predominantly hospital-based, highlighting the need for broader evaluation and adaptation in primary and community healthcare settings.
Relevance To Clinical Practice:
NEWS supports the early recognition of neonatal deterioration and timely clinical intervention. This analysis highlights the need for further development and implementation of NEWS, particularly in LMICs and non-hospital settings, to improve neonatal outcomes.
