Neonatal near miss in referral hospitals for high-risk pregnancy and childbirth: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

The article aimed to describe and compare indicators of neonatal near miss in referral hospitals for high-risk pregnancy and childbirth. This exploratory study was performed in two general hospitals in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. The study included cases of neonatal near miss in the year 2016 with gestational age < 33 weeks, birthweight < 1,750g, 5-minute Apgar < 7, or admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) and that remained alive at 7 days of life. Data were extracted from the Brazilian Information System on Live Births, Mortality Information System, Hospital Information System, and National Registry of Healthcare Establishments to characterize all live births at the institutions, cases of near miss, and availability of technology. Neonatal near miss and early neonatal mortality rates were calculated. The Pernambuco Maternal-Child Institute (IMIP) received the most serious cases and had the highest neonatal near miss rate (119.21 per thousand live births; p = 0.009) and early neonatal mortality rate (35.22 per thousand live births; p < 0.001). The University Hospital had the highest proportion of neonatal ICU admissions (76% of the near miss cases; p < 0.001). Neonatal near miss rates differed between the hospitals and are useful for surveillance of neonatal care in healthcare institutions, but they require attention to the local profile and context when the objective is to perform evaluations with classification. The findings reflect the complexity of assessing different health services.