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

Abstract

Globally, the largest contributors to neonatal mortality are preterm birth, intrapartum complications and infection. Many of these deaths could be prevented by providing temperature stability, respiratory support, hydration and nutrition; preventing and treating infections; and diagnosing and treating neonatal jaundice and hypoglycaemia. Most neonatal health-care technologies which help to accomplish these tasks are designed for high-income countries and are either unavailable or unsuitable in low-resource settings, preventing many neonates from receiving the gold standard of care. There is an urgent need for neonatal health-care technologies which are low-cost, robust, simple to use and maintain, affordable and able to operate from various power supplies. Several technologies have been designed to meet these requirements or are currently under development; however, unmet technology needs remain. The distribution of an integrated set of technologies, rather than separate components, is essential for effective implementation and a substantial impact on neonatal health. Close collaboration between stakeholders at all stages of the development process and an increased focus on implementation research are necessary for effective and sustainable implementation.

Evaluation of ‘TRY’: an algorithm for neonatal continuous positive airways pressure in low-income settings

“…CPAP should only be added when there is good evidence that basic neonatal nursing needs are already being provided and CPAP will not overstretch the unit’s capabilities to deliver good care. Maynard et al 23 have provided a list of technologies that are essential to newborn care and advise how to deliver them.…”

Basic neonatal resuscitation skills of midwives and nurses in Eastern Ethiopia are not well retained: An observational study

“…Moreover, to achieve sustainable development goals (SDG) in 2030, all countries should reduce neonatal mortality to 12 per 1,000 live births and under 5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births [27]. Retention of NR skills is of crucial importance, along with access to basic equipment to save the life of millions of newborns [23,28,29]. However, maintaining NR skills presents a different set of challenges, particularly in settings where providers attend few deliveries, infrequently resuscitate newborns, and have limited access to refresher training in resource-scarce settings, including Ethiopia.…”

A modular, open-source, slide-scanning microscope for diagnostic applications in resource-constrained settings

“…However, the utility of such systems depends upon their cost-effectiveness and simplicity. In order to see wide adoption in resource-constrained settings, an ideal system should be cheap enough to be widely deployed, and have the ability to be used by non-expert operators [ 9 ]. For example, a recent WSI telepathology system installed in Pakistan incurred serious delays in implementation due to the departure of a single pathologist [ 10 ].…”