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MEASURING COVERAGE IN MNCH; INDICATORS FOR GLOBAL TRACKING OF MNCH CARE

Wednesday, 12th of June 2013

• MEASURING COVERAGE IN MNCH; INDICATORS FOR GLOBAL TRACKING OF MNCH CARE

Full text, with graphics, is at http://www.ploscollections.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1001415

 

Abstract

Neonatal mortality accounts for 43% of under-five mortality. Consequently, improving newborn survival is a global priority. However, although there is increasing consensus on the packages and specific interventions that need to be scaled up to reduce neonatal mortality, there is a lack of clarity on the indicators needed to measure progress. In 2008, in an effort to improve newborn survival, the Newborn Indicators Technical Working Group (TWG) was convened by the Saving Newborn Lives program at Save the Children to provide a forum to develop the indicators and standard measurement tools that are needed to measure coverage of key newborn interventions. The TWG, which included evaluation and measurement experts, researchers, individuals from United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations, and donors, prioritized improved consistency of measurement of postnatal care for women and newborns and of immediate care behaviors and practices for newborns. In addition, the TWG promoted increased data availability through inclusion of additional questions in nationally representative surveys, such as the United States Agency for International Development–supported Demographic and Health Surveys and the United Nations Childrens Fund–supported Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys. Several studies have been undertaken that have informed revisions of indicators and survey tools, and global postnatal care coverage indicators have been finalized. Consensus has been achieved on three additional indicators for care of the newborn after birth (drying, delayed bathing, and cutting the cord with a clean instrument), and on testing two further indicators (immediate skin-to-skin care and applications to the umbilical cord). Finally, important measurement gaps have been identified regarding coverage data for evidence-based interventions, such as Kangaroo Mother Care and care seeking for newborn infection.

Citation: Moran AC, Kerber K, Sitrin D, Guenther T, Morrissey CS, et al. (2013) Measuring Coverage in MNCH: Indicators for Global Tracking of Newborn Care. PLoS Med 10(5): e1001415. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001415

Academic Editor: Carla AbouZahr, Independent consultant: Health statistics and policy

Published: May 7, 2013

Copyright: © 2013 Moran et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Funding: Funding for the Newborn Indicators TWG was provided through Save the Childrens Saving Newborn Lives Program, supported by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Abbreviations: DHS, Demographic and Health Surveys; MICS, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys; TWG, Newborn Indicators Technical Working Group; UNICEF, United Nations Childrens Fund; WHO, World Health Organization

Provenance: Submitted as part of a sponsored Collection; externally reviewed.

This paper is part of the PLOS Medicine “Measuring Coverage in MNCH" Collection.