Development of an Early Warning Track and Trigger system for preterm or low-birth weight infants in a low resource setting: results of a mixed-methods study at a national referral hospital in Kenya

Mitchell, Eleanor; Qureshi, Zahida; Were, Fredrick; Daniels, Jane; Gwako, George; Osoti, Alfred; Opira, Jacqueline; Bradshaw, Lucy; Oliver, Mary; Pallotti, Phoebe; Ojha, Shalini

Abstract

Introduction: Fifteen million babies are born prematurely, before 37 weeks gestational age, globally. More than 80% of these are in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. 35% of all deaths in the first month of life are due to prematurity and the neonatal mortality rate is eight times higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) than in Europe. Early Warning Scores (EWS) are a way of recording vital signs using standardised charts to easily identify adverse clinical signs and escalate care appropriately. A range of EWS have been developed for neonates, though none in LMICs. This paper reports the findings of early work to examine if the use of EWS is feasible in LMICs.

Methods: We conducted an observational study to understand current practices for monitoring of preterm infants at a large national referral hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Using hospital records, data were collected over an 8-week period in 2019 on all live born infants born at [under]37 weeks and/or [less than]2500 g (n=294, 255 mothers) in the first week of life. Using a chart adopted from the EWS developed by the British Association of Perinatal Medicine, we plotted infants’ vital signs. In addition, we held group discussions with stakeholders in Kenya to examine opinions on use of EWS.

Results: Recording of vital signs was variable; only 63% of infants had at least one temperature recorded and 53% had at least one heart rate and respiratory rate recorded. Stakeholders liked the traffic-light system and simplicity of the chart, though recognised challenges, such as staffing levels and ability to print in colour, to its adoption.

Conclusion: EWS may standardise documentation and identify infants who are at higher risk of an adverse outcome. However, human and non-human resource issues would need to be explored further before development of an EWS for LMICs.

Citation

Mitchell, E., Qureshi, Z., Were, F., Daniels, J., Gwako, G., Osoti, A., Opira, J., Bradshaw, L., Oliver, M., Pallotti, P., & Ojha, S. (2020). Development of an Early Warning Track and Trigger system for preterm or low-birth weight infants in a low resource setting: results of a mixed-methods study at a national referral hospital in Kenya. BMJ Global Health, 10(10), Article e039061. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-039061

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 22, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Oct 28, 2020
• Publication Date: Oct 28, 2020
• Deposit Date: Jun 29, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 28, 2020
• Journal: BMJ Global Health
• Electronic ISSN: 2059-7908
• Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 10
• Article Number: e039061
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-039061
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4738642
• Publisher URL: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/10/e039061