Usefulness of the “New” Delivery Room Register in Predicting Factors (Clinical and Non-Clinical) Associated with Neonatal Outcomes in the Eastern Region of Ghana

Abstract

Neonatal deaths account for 40% of deaths under the age of 5 years worldwide (Lawn et al. 2005). This contributed greatly to the inability of the global effort to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goal 4 of reducing childhood mortality by two-thirds by 2015. Aside newborn death being a human right issue, it constitutes a major bottleneck in Ghana’s inability to meet the MDG4 and to improve child survival. The GHS has embarked on series of interventions aimed at reducing facility specific neonatal mortality by 35% by 2018 including revision of the delivery room registers. This study assessed the effectiveness and usefulness of the “new” delivery room register in identifying clinical and socioeconomic factors that contribute to neonatal outcomes in Ghana through the review of the GHS delivery room register A cross-sectional method was used to gather data on demography of mothers and their babies, births outcomes, associated clinical and socio-economic factors as captured in the delivery room register covering the period of September 1st, 2016 to December 31st, 2016. The data quality from the delivery room register was found to be high (95%) and appreciable although there is still room for improvement. Overall facility specific NMR was 34.79 per 1000 births (95% CI: 34.75, 34.82) with considerable variation across the different types of facilities in the region. This study also found six (6) factors associated with neonatal death. These factors include LBW, gestation, sex, blood group of mother, parity and age of the mother. To make the register more effective and more useful, there is the need for GHS to develop a comprehensive guide that explains the use of the register. GHS and key stakeholders in newborn should also consider the training of providers on the use of the register. The RHD should also consider further research on facility-specific neonatal mortality as well as factors influencing birth outcomes in the region.