Evidence mapPaperPMID 21501427Full record

SynthesisBMC public health2011

Care during labor and birth for the prevention of intrapartum-related neonatal deaths: a systematic review and Delphi estimation of mortality effect.

Anne C C Lee, Simon Cousens, Gary L Darmstadt, Hannah Blencowe, Robert Pattinson, Neil F Moran, G Justus Hofmeyr, Rachel A Haws, Shereen Zulfiqar Bhutta, Joy E Lawn

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC public health, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 67 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
67citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
11.4field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

67 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 141 citations in OpenAlex.

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7 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 8 institutions in 4 countries.

Anne C C LeeDepartment of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. aclee@jhsph.edu
Simon Cousens
Gary L Darmstadt
Hannah Blencowe
Robert Pattinson
Neil F Moran
G Justus Hofmeyr
Rachel A Haws
Shereen Zulfiqar Bhutta
Joy E Lawn
Johns Hopkins University · USLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine · GBBill & Melinda Gates Foundation · USGrey's Hospital · ZAJinnah Postgraduate Medical Center · PKSave the Children · USUniversity of Pretoria · ZAUniversity of the Witwatersrand · ZA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOur objective was to estimate the effect of various childbirth care packages on neonatal mortality due to intrapartum-related events ("birth asphyxia") in term babies for use in the Lives Saved Tool (LiST).

methodsWe conducted a systematic literature review to identify studies or reviews of childbirth care packages as defined by United Nations norms (basic and comprehensive emergency obstetric care, skilled care at birth). We also reviewed Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) training. Data were abstracted into standard tables and quality assessed by adapted GRADE criteria. For interventions with low quality evidence, but strong GRADE recommendation for implementation, an expert Delphi consensus process was conducted to estimate cause-specific mortality effects.

resultsWe identified evidence for the effect on perinatal/neonatal mortality of emergency obstetric care packages: 9 studies (8 observational, 1 quasi-experimental), and for skilled childbirth care: 10 studies (8 observational, 2 quasi-experimental). Studies were of low quality, but the GRADE recommendation for implementation is strong. Our Delphi process included 21 experts representing all WHO regions and achieved consensus on the reduction of intrapartum-related neonatal deaths by comprehensive emergency obstetric care (85%), basic emergency obstetric care (40%), and skilled birth care (25%). For TBA training we identified 2 meta-analyses and 9 studies reporting mortality effects (3 cRCT, 1 quasi-experimental, 5 observational). There was substantial between-study heterogeneity and the overall quality of evidence was low. Because the GRADE recommendation for TBA training is conditional on the context and region, the effect was not estimated through a Delphi or included in the LiST tool.

conclusionEvidence quality is rated low, partly because of challenges in undertaking RCTs for obstetric interventions, which are considered standard of care. Additional challenges for evidence interpretation include varying definitions of obstetric packages and inconsistent measurement of mortality outcomes. Thus, the LiST effect estimates for skilled birth and emergency obstetric care were based on expert opinion. Using LiST modelling, universal coverage of comprehensive obstetric care could avert 591,000 intrapartum-related neonatal deaths each year. Investment in childbirth care packages should be a priority and accompanied by implementation research and further evaluation of intervention impact and cost.

fundingThis work was supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through a grant to the US Fund for UNICEF, and to Saving Newborn Lives Save the Children, through Save the Children US.

Indexed as

Delphi TechniqueInfant MortalityPerinatal CareAsphyxia NeonatorumDelivery, ObstetricFemaleHumansInfant, NewbornPregnancy

Identifiers

PMID21501427
PMCPMC3231883
OpenAlexW2160284616

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.