Poor power quality is a major barrier to providing optimal care in special neonatal care units (SNCU) in Central India [version 1; peer review: 2 approved]
Background: Approximately 25% of all neonatal deaths worldwide occur in India. The Indian Government has established Special Neonatal Care Units (SNCUs) in district and sub-district level hospitals to reduce neonatal mortality, but mortality rates have stagnated. Reasons include lack of personnel an...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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F1000 Research Ltd
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Gates Open Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://gatesopenresearch.org/articles/6-58/v1 |
| _version_ | 1797794712200937472 |
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| author | Emily Conant Marym Mohammady Archana Patel James S Summers Patricia L Hibberd Nithya Ramanathan Lisa J Messersmith Cherryl Kolhe Alyana Ladha Sowmya R Rao Prabir Das |
| author_facet | Emily Conant Marym Mohammady Archana Patel James S Summers Patricia L Hibberd Nithya Ramanathan Lisa J Messersmith Cherryl Kolhe Alyana Ladha Sowmya R Rao Prabir Das |
| author_sort | Emily Conant |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Approximately 25% of all neonatal deaths worldwide occur in India. The Indian Government has established Special Neonatal Care Units (SNCUs) in district and sub-district level hospitals to reduce neonatal mortality, but mortality rates have stagnated. Reasons include lack of personnel and training and sub-optimal quality of care. The role of medical equipment is critical for the care of babies, but its role in improving neonatal outcomes has not been well studied. Methods: In a qualitative study, we conducted seven focus group discussions with SNCU nurses and pediatric residents and thirty-five key informant interviews and with pediatricians, residents, nurses, annual equipment maintenance contractors, equipment manufacturers, and Ministry of Health personnel in Maharashtra between December 2019 and November 2020. The goal of the study was to understand challenges to SNCU care. In this paper, we focus on current gaps and future needs for SNCU equipment, quality of the power supply, and use of SNCU equipment. Results: Respondents described a range of issues but highlighted poor power quality as an important cause of equipment malfunction. Other concerns were lack of timely repair that resulted in needed equipment being unavailable for neonatal care. Participants recommended procuring uninterrupted power supply (UPS) to protect equipment, improving quality/durability of equipment to withstand constant use, ensuring regular proactive maintenance for SNCU equipment, and conducting local power audits to discern and address the causes of power fluctuations. Conclusions: Poor power quality and its negative impact on equipment function are major unaddressed concerns of those responsible for the care and safety of babies in SNCUs in Central India. Further research on the power supply and protection of neonatal equipment is needed to determine a cost-effective way to improve access to supportive care in SNCUs and desired improvements in neonatal mortality rates. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T03:06:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-92a384b1d4e34b86ad78ff41ea8250d8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2572-4754 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T03:06:54Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | F1000 Research Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Gates Open Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-92a384b1d4e34b86ad78ff41ea8250d82023-06-27T00:00:00ZengF1000 Research LtdGates Open Research2572-47542022-04-01614739Poor power quality is a major barrier to providing optimal care in special neonatal care units (SNCU) in Central India [version 1; peer review: 2 approved]Emily Conant0Marym Mohammady1Archana Patel2James S Summers3Patricia L Hibberd4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7455-8117Nithya Ramanathan5Lisa J Messersmith6https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4376-7968Cherryl Kolhe7Alyana Ladha8Sowmya R Rao9Prabir Das10NexLeaf Analytics, Los Angeles, CA, 90064, USANexLeaf Analytics, Los Angeles, CA, 90064, USALata Medical Research Foundation, Nagpur, IndiaJust Normlicht, Inc, Philadelphia, PA, 19047, USAGlobal Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02118, USANexLeaf Analytics, Los Angeles, CA, 90064, USAGlobal Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02118, USALata Medical Research Foundation, Nagpur, IndiaGlobal Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02118, USAGlobal Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02118, USALata Medical Research Foundation, Nagpur, IndiaBackground: Approximately 25% of all neonatal deaths worldwide occur in India. The Indian Government has established Special Neonatal Care Units (SNCUs) in district and sub-district level hospitals to reduce neonatal mortality, but mortality rates have stagnated. Reasons include lack of personnel and training and sub-optimal quality of care. The role of medical equipment is critical for the care of babies, but its role in improving neonatal outcomes has not been well studied. Methods: In a qualitative study, we conducted seven focus group discussions with SNCU nurses and pediatric residents and thirty-five key informant interviews and with pediatricians, residents, nurses, annual equipment maintenance contractors, equipment manufacturers, and Ministry of Health personnel in Maharashtra between December 2019 and November 2020. The goal of the study was to understand challenges to SNCU care. In this paper, we focus on current gaps and future needs for SNCU equipment, quality of the power supply, and use of SNCU equipment. Results: Respondents described a range of issues but highlighted poor power quality as an important cause of equipment malfunction. Other concerns were lack of timely repair that resulted in needed equipment being unavailable for neonatal care. Participants recommended procuring uninterrupted power supply (UPS) to protect equipment, improving quality/durability of equipment to withstand constant use, ensuring regular proactive maintenance for SNCU equipment, and conducting local power audits to discern and address the causes of power fluctuations. Conclusions: Poor power quality and its negative impact on equipment function are major unaddressed concerns of those responsible for the care and safety of babies in SNCUs in Central India. Further research on the power supply and protection of neonatal equipment is needed to determine a cost-effective way to improve access to supportive care in SNCUs and desired improvements in neonatal mortality rates.https://gatesopenresearch.org/articles/6-58/v1neonatal health care special neonatal care units neonatal intensive care units India hospital staff barriers to careeng |
| spellingShingle | Emily Conant Marym Mohammady Archana Patel James S Summers Patricia L Hibberd Nithya Ramanathan Lisa J Messersmith Cherryl Kolhe Alyana Ladha Sowmya R Rao Prabir Das Poor power quality is a major barrier to providing optimal care in special neonatal care units (SNCU) in Central India [version 1; peer review: 2 approved] Gates Open Research neonatal health care special neonatal care units neonatal intensive care units India hospital staff barriers to care eng |
| title | Poor power quality is a major barrier to providing optimal care in special neonatal care units (SNCU) in Central India [version 1; peer review: 2 approved] |
| title_full | Poor power quality is a major barrier to providing optimal care in special neonatal care units (SNCU) in Central India [version 1; peer review: 2 approved] |
| title_fullStr | Poor power quality is a major barrier to providing optimal care in special neonatal care units (SNCU) in Central India [version 1; peer review: 2 approved] |
| title_full_unstemmed | Poor power quality is a major barrier to providing optimal care in special neonatal care units (SNCU) in Central India [version 1; peer review: 2 approved] |
| title_short | Poor power quality is a major barrier to providing optimal care in special neonatal care units (SNCU) in Central India [version 1; peer review: 2 approved] |
| title_sort | poor power quality is a major barrier to providing optimal care in special neonatal care units sncu in central india version 1 peer review 2 approved |
| topic | neonatal health care special neonatal care units neonatal intensive care units India hospital staff barriers to care eng |
| url | https://gatesopenresearch.org/articles/6-58/v1 |
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