G292(P) An audit of neonatal admissions to a rural hospital in south-western uganda

• Published in: Archives of disease in childhood 2019-05, Vol.104 (Suppl 2), p.A119
• Main Authors: Acton, C, Harris, C, Munyagwa, M, Greenough, A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Asphyxia; Attrition (Research Studies); Birth weight; Body Weight; Child Health; Diagnosis; Gestational age; Hospitals; Infants; Medical diagnosis; Mortality; Neonates; Newborn babies; Pediatrics; Pregnancy; Premature birth; Sepsis; Survival; Young Children
• ISSN: 0003-9888; 1468-2044
• DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2019-rcpch.284

AimA study of neonatal admissions to a rural hospital (Kiwoko Hospital) in Uganda in 2008 showed that 50% of infants born prematurely died.1 Improvements in neonatal care at Kagando Hospital, a rural hospital in South West Uganda, were associated with a reduced mortality sustained over a five-year period.2 Diagnoses on admission, however, were poorly recorded, hence it was not possible to determine whether there had been improvements in survival in premature infants. We, therefore, prospectively audited neonatal admissions at Kagando Hospital and compared in hospital mortality by prematurity and birth weight to published data (1).MethodsThe data were collected for all admissions to the neonatal unit at Kagando Hospital between10th June – 10th July 2018. Data on weight and estimated gestational age on admission, postnatal age on admission and discharge, diagnosis and outcome were taken from the ward admission book and paper charts.ResultsSixty-three neonates with a median weight of 2.7 (range 1.0–5.0) kg and estimated gestational age of 40 (28–40) weeks were admitted. Their median length of stay, excluding those who died, was 6 (1–37) days. There was no significant difference in mortality in those born prematurely versus those born at term (p=0.933). The mortality rate of the preterm infants was lower than in Kiwoko Hospital (13% versus 50%, p