A study in Viet Nam by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that hospitals can reduce life-threatening infections in newborns by over two thirds and admissions to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) by one third by implementing Early Essential Newborn Care (EENC).
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“A newborn dies every 2 minutes in this Region, but full implementation of EENC could prevent up to half of these deaths,” explained Dr Howard Sobel, Coordinator for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health in WHO’s Western Pacific Region and co-author of the study.
Other studies in Asia have shown that health worker practices around birth are often outdated and harmful, leading to increased risks for babies of sepsis (a dangerous infection in the bloodstream), hypothermia (dangerously low body temperature) or death. Despite the availability of knowledge and tools, the quality of care can be compromised by the lack of clear policy guidelines, availability and allocation of staff, supportive work environments, and other issues.
EENC is a package of simple, evidence-based clinical care practices recommended by WHO. It focuses on improving the quality of care during and immediately after birth. Central to EENC is the “First Embrace” – a prolonged skin-to-skin cuddle between mother and baby, which allows proper warming, feeding and umbilical cord care. Key actions
Aside from the bond it fosters, the First Embrace helps transfer warmth, placental blood, protective bacteria, and through colostrum (the first breast milk) essential nutrients and immune cells to protect from infection. All babies can benefit, including
Study findings
The Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children in central Viet Nam, where about 14 000 babies are born every year, implemented EENC through on-the-job coaching of staff on appropriate childbirth and newborn care in 2014 and 2015. A quality improvement approach was subsequently implemented to address factors such as local policies,
“EENC has transformed the care that babies receive in our hospital. The package of procedures is practical, and it can be implemented anywhere,” said Dr Hoang Tran, Deputy Director, Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children.
The study compared live birth outcomes and NICU admissions in the 12 months before and after EENC was introduced. Data revealed that, after EENC implementation, sepsis cases fell by two thirds (from 3.2% to 0.9% of babies born in the hospital), NICU admissions fell by one third (from 18.3% to 12.3%), and hypothermia cases fell by one quarter (from 5.4% to 3.9% of babies admitted to the NICU).
Before EENC was introduced, skin-to-skin contact was not practised. Babies born vaginally were routinely separated from their mothers for at least 20 minutes, and those delivered by caesarean section for 6 hours or more. After implementation of EENC, 100% of babies received immediate skin-to-skin contact regardless of route of delivery.
The percentage of babies in the NICU born preterm (less than 37 weeks of gestation) or with low birthweight (less than 2.5 kilograms) receiving “kangaroo mother care” increased by 15% after EENC was introduced. Kangaroo mother care – continuous skin-to-skin contact for more than 20 hours per day, early and exclusive breastfeeding, and close monitoring of illness –
With EENC, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the NICU almost doubled. Exclusive breastfeeding is when a baby receives breast milk only – no formula, water or anything else. WHO and UNICEF recommend this as the ideal way to feed babies for their first 6 months. These improvements occurred during the study period despite a significant increase in the proportion of babies born by caesarean section and with low
Direct and indirect savings
The study also found additional benefits of EENC for hospitals and families. As a result of increased breastfeeding, parents of babies in the NICU and those on the postnatal ward spent 78% and 96% less on infant formula, respectively. Families also saved money thanks to shorter hospital stays and less time off work. As a result of reduced NICU admissions, the hospital saved more than US$ 300 000 and reduced staff workload. There was also reduced antibiotic use.
“The findings of our study are relevant way beyond Viet Nam. All hospitals – in rich and poor countries alike – can learn from this experience to improve newborn health. I’ve seen harmful practices across more than 20 low- and middle-income countries. Our job is to help health authorities, doctors, nurses and midwives replace those practices with evidence-based ones. We know that EENC works. We now need to finish the job and make it available to every mother and newborn across the Region,” Dr Sobel added.
Notes to editors
Early Essential Newborn Care Is Associated With Reduced Adverse Neonatal Outcomes in a Tertiary Hospital in Da Nang, Viet Nam: A Pre- Post- Intervention Study
www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(18)30052-X/
WHO fact sheet on newborn health
https://www.who.int/westernpacific/newsroom/fact-sheets/detail/newborns-reducing-mortality
First Embrace: Introducing and sustaining EENC in hospitals: routine childbirth and newborn care
http://iris.wpro.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665.1/13409/9789290617808-eng.pdf
The First Embrace