Running Head: IMPROVING NEONATAL MORTALITY RATES
Improving Neonatal Mortality Rates
Brooke L. Bajor
University Of Central Florida
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IMPROVING NEONATAL MORTALITY RATES
Abstract
Studying neonatal development has led me to conduct recent research about neonatal care
Bajor 2 facilities. My research has allowed me to better understand the care being provided in neonatal facilities as well. With 4.2 million people born each year it is necessary to ensure that efficient care is being provided (Wolfram 2013). As a future neonatal nurse, I am curious to discover what can be done to improve the current neonatal health care system. Are some practices unethical?
How can the neonatal hospital environment be more welcoming and friendly? My research took place mainly within the University of Central Florida’s online library databases. I found many articles that contained information and suggestions about how to improve neonatal mortality rates. Neonatal care facilities can be improved in multiple ways in order to decrease the infant mortality rate.
Keywords: Neonatal mortality, Infant deaths, Neonatal care

IMPROVING NEONATAL MORTALITY RATES
Brooke Bajor
Professor Steffen Guenzel
ENC 1102
March 28, 2014
Research Paper
Improving Neonatal Mortality Rates
Efficient neonatal care is essential in order to provide a healthy future for new-born
Bajor 3 children. Although many hospitals try to provide excellent neonatal care to children, there are still 3.3 million infant deaths occurring each year. 2 million of these deaths occur on the infant’s first day of life in the neonatal care center (WHO 2011). Neonatal care centers need to change their tactics and procedures in order to provide a healthier environment for children. My career interests have prompted me to conduct research to discover ways in which hospitals can provide better neo-natal care for new born infants and address areas in need of improvement to ensure a healthy and comfortable environment for new-born babies in order to decrease rising neonatal mortality rates.
Initially, I focused on finding the history of neonatal care and the quality of care that is currently being provided in hospitals today. After I gained enough knowledge about neonatal care, I shifted my focus to the increasing rates of neonatal mortality. Neonatal mortality rates have also increased in under-developed countries, such as Africa. Some individuals feel that the quality of care in the United States is far beyond that of other countries; therefore we should focus on improving the care in other countries first. Others feel that it is necessary to focus on our local care centers and quench the increasing mortality rates by implementing a few simple

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IMPROVING NEONATAL MORTALITY RATES changes. Continuing with multiple perspectives, some feel that neonatal care is perfectly fine and should remain untouched.
My research has allowed me to better understand the care being provided in neonatal facilities across the United States as well as other countries. As a future neonatal nurse, the increasing mortality rates among infants are alarming. With 4.2 million people born each year in
America alone, it is necessary to ensure that efficient care is being provided to each new-born individual (Wolfram Alpha 2013). Unfortunately, some infants require more intense care than others. Many ill and premature babies pass through neonatal care centers each day. These children require the special attention of the NICU environment.
A huge component of neonatal care includes the NICU; Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
The first ICU for neonates was established in 1961 (Wikipedia 2014). The purpose of ICU units is to focus on specialized care for neonatal infants that have a low survival rate. Hall (2014) has found that half a million, or 1 in every 8 children, is born premature per year. Journal articles and research studies have proven that most deaths can be prevented with proper care and procedures.
Without proper NICU care, it is extremely difficult to provide a promising life for these children.
Over the last 30 years there have been many improvements in the neonatal hospital area. By the
1970’s neonatal care facilities became more prominent in hospitals (Malcom 2012). During the rising years of the NICU, research found that nearly 20% of babies in NICU centers were not visited by either parent during their hospital stay. This early detachment can cause severe relationship issues with parents and may also cause developmental issues (Malcom 2012).
Malcom (2012) has also found that in the past 10 years, NICU units have become more parentfriendly and have created ways to incorporate parent contact to children. With recent

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IMPROVING NEONATAL MORTALITY RATES improvements in technology and changes in priorities, there has been an increase in the chance of survival for new born infants (NICU 2014).
Medical personnel and hospitals can benefit from improvements to neonatal care facilities. Nursing staff of neonatal and hospital facilities need to meet quotas and provide excellent patient care to ensure the best possible hospital experience. Although we have excellent technology and modern health care facilities, many agree that improvements can still be incorporated. Why settle for just excellent care when we can strive to maintain the best healthcare system in the world? Excellent neonatal care is essential because this area of care deals with the future population of America. We must strive to bring healthy children into the world. If hospitals highly consider re-evaluating their neonatal care facilities it will increase neonatal mortality rates across the nation.
The Maternal Partnership website argues that simple changes can drastically improve neonatal care. The author of this article appears to be concerned for the future of the neonatal health care system. Proper steps and procedures should be followed in order to ensure the health and well-being of each newborn in the facility (Partnership, WHO 2011). Research reveals that proper universal procedures are only followed 60% of the time (WHO 2011). The website suggests that equipment should also be regularly inspected and maintained. With the help of medical staff and hospital personnel, hospitals can collectively work towards creating a better future for each newborn that passes through the neonatal care facilities in each of our hospitals
(Thomas 2014).
Until recently, the partnership website discusses that little effort has been made to solve the health issues of new born babies. Most deaths and health concerns have gone unreported and

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IMPROVING NEONATAL MORTALITY RATES no documentation has been found for most cases (WHO 2011). The author emphasizes that a lack of concern is present in neonatal care centers. The article reveals that there is little to no documentation of neonatal deaths. This ultimately makes it extremely difficult to decrease the new-born mortality rate and find the most common cause of death for infants. The author further states that deaths within the first few months of life account for 41% of all infant deaths in the world (WHO 2011). The author is surprised that with the high rate of infant deaths occurring in the first month of life, why is there not more of an effort being put forward to help support these struggling infants? The author argues that there is a lack of follow-up care for new-born children which result in many deaths that could have been prevented.
The author indicates that the focus of neonatal care has diminished in recent years is because there has been a lack of continuum care, no documentation of infant deaths, and genderpreferred care is being offered (WHO 2011) Effective care can solve many of the causes and problems of neo-natal deaths. Proper health care can reduce three of the four million deaths that occur each year (WHO 2011). The lack of maternal care during pregnancy can help to prevent infections from being passed on to the baby during birth. Antibiotics should be locally available to immediately treat infected babies at the time of their birth. Pre-mature babies are often incubated and have little maternal contact. Pre-mature infants must maintain warm body temperatures with close contact to the mother. New approaches to caring for mothers and neonatal infants should be implemented to increase the survival rates (WHO 2011) The website claims that each child possesses different needs and methods of care. When the nurses assigned to care for each child begin to pay special attention to the unique needs of each child and provide excellent care to each of them, neonatal mortality rates will start to improve.

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IMPROVING NEONATAL MORTALITY RATES
Even though there is a high amount of infant deaths occurring each year, some argue that our current care being provided is fine the way it is and no improvements are necessary. Many individuals argue that there has already been enough focus on neonatal care and we should focus our attention to serious problems, but what is more serious than the future population of our country? Over the past fifty years there has been much advancement in the neonatal care system
(Wikipedia 2013). Despite the recent increases in technology, however, 30% of infant deaths can still be prevented if simple improvements were made to procedures and the quality of care provided (Thomas 2014). If proper documentation and procedures were used, the survival rate of infants would increase. Along with this, maternal and infant follow-up care can be more consistent (WHO 2011). Although some people argue that the care being provided for new-born children is efficient enough, research and statistics have clearly proven that simple mistakes are increasing the mortality rate of infants. The World Health Report states that these few simple improvements can help save the lives of up to half a million children.
Unfortunately, the survival rate of newborns in developing countries is much lower than the mortality rates of infants in America. 90% of new born deaths occur in under developed countries (Reddy 2012). Some individuals feel that we should focus on the mistakes of underdeveloped country’s medical care systems in order to gain ideas on how to improve our medical care in America. From my research I have followed a study conducted in 2002 in Kilimanjaro,
Africa. Mbwele (2013) has found that most of the deaths recorded in this African region could have been prevented, but without proper technology, infant deaths continue to occur.
Neonatal healthcare in other countries, especially Africa, is far less efficient compared to the care being provided in America. Mbwele (2013) found that the standards and quality of care provided in these African regions were far different than those in the United States. A study in

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IMPROVING NEONATAL MORTALITY RATES
Tanzania reported that only one-third of deaths were properly recorded, therefore, the cause of the patient’s deaths could not be discovered. It is difficult to solve the problem of high mortality rates if the cause of death is not being recorded. Underdeveloped countries are capable of providing better health care for infants if they readjusted their procedures and properly documented infant mortalities (Mbewele 2013). With these simple changes, health care facilities in these African regions, as well as in other countries, can work towards providing better health care and creating a healthier future for the rising population.
Neonatal care is constantly in demand. With hundreds of infants being born each day, maintaining quality neonatal health care is vital in order to ensure healthy babies are being sent out into the world. No mother wants to lose a child over senseless mistakes being made by health professionals. A study by Mbwele (2013) proved that 1 in every 3 mothers who were patients in neonatal care centers were unsatisfied with the care they received. Many mothers stated that no follow up care was offered which often resulted in health issues for either the mother or child.
Mistakes in simple procedures and follow-up care are senseless errors that can easily be prevented (Partnership 2011).
Whether or not an individual feels that hospitals should focus on improving care in the
United States or focus their attention abroad, there is a general consensus among everyone that the rising neonatal mortality rates should be diminished immediately. It is unacceptable to be losing thousands of innocent lives each year because hospital staff and personnel continue to make senseless mistakes. Mistakes involving simple procedures and documentation should not be occurring in this day and age (Partnership 2011). NICU care centers also play a huge role in keeping sick and premature children alive. If the NICU environment is unwelcoming and does not properly nurture a child, it is unlikely the infant will prosper into a healthy baby (NICU

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2014). It is important and necessary for hospitals locally and internationally to re-inspect their health care procedures. The best option for neonatal care facilities is to implement these new suggestions into their daily procedures, which will decrease neonatal mortality rates and result in a better world for us all.
References
Lunsford, Andrea A., and Franklin E. Horowitz. The Everyday Writer . Boston: Bedford/St.
Martins, 2004. Print.
Malcom, Batton, Knight David, and Howie Ross. " The Changing Pattern of Neonatal
Mortality ."; “The 50 Year Experience of Perinatal Centre” 48.7 (2012): 596-99. Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health. Web.
Mbwele, Bernard, Elizabeth Reddy, and Hugh Reyburn. "A Rapid Assessment of the Quality of
Neonatal Healthcare in Kilimanjaro Region, Northeast Tanzania ." BMC Pediatrics 12.1
(2012): 182. Print.
Mbwele, Bernard, Nicole L. Ide, Elizabeth Reddy, and Sarah A. Ward. "Quality of Neonatal
Healthcare in Kilimanjaro Region, Northeast Tanzania: Learning from Mothers'
Experiences." BMC Pediatrics 13.1 (2013): 68. Print.
"Neonatal Intensive Care Unit." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation , 16 Feb. 2014. Web. 20 Feb.
2014.
Neonatal Nursing: “ Scope and Standards of Practice .” Silver Spring, MD: Nurses.org, 2013.
Print.
NICU Study: Best Practices Are Not Always Followed; Dramatic Variations in More than
13,000 Cases." Health Care Benchmarks and Quality Improvement. High Beam
Publishers, 1 June 2003. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
Thomas, E.J. "Are You Doing Enough to Prevent Infant Deaths?" Hospital Peer Review. N.p., 1
Sept. 2004. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
World Health Report, and UNICEF. "Newborn Death and Illness." The Partnership for
Maternal, Newborn Health . WHO, 12 Sept. 2011. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.

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