Assessing data collection systems in African Neonatal Association-affiliated newborn units: Implementation barriers, sustainability, and opportunities for improvement

Abstract

Globally, the under-five mortality rate has decreased, though reductions in newborn mortality have not improved to the same degree. Data collection systems have been widely shown in the literature to improve newborn care and subsequently mortality outcomes, often through facilitating quality improvement (QI) initiatives. The African Neonatal Association (ANA) has partnered with the Children's Hospitals Neonatal Consortium (CHNC) to support their mission of improving outcomes for newborns and their families in Africa through the development of an Africa-focused data network. To support this initiative, a survey was disseminated to ANA-affiliated newborn care facilities to establish a baseline assessment of newborn-specific data systems, identify barriers and limitations, evaluate the use of databases for QI initiatives, and assess educational needs. Survey respondents identified that despite high utilization of data collection systems for monitoring newborn outcomes and QI initiatives, key barriers to sustainability and effectiveness of these databases included insufficient staffing, inadequate funding, and high clinical workloads. There is ongoing collaborative development of a virtual QI workshop between CHNC and ANA members to support newborn healthcare providers in LMIC settings, given unanimous QI education interest from survey respondents.