Assessment of the quality of neonatal care in the Solomon Islands

Abstract

Aim: To identify strengths and obstacles for improving the quality of newborn care in the Solomon Islands. Improving the quality of newborn care is a priority in the Sustainable Development Goals and the Action Plan for Healthy Newborns in the Western Pacific. The neonatal mortality rate in the Solomon Islands, a lower-middle-income country, has improved slower than overall child mortality. In 2013, neonatal mortality (13.2/1000) constituted 44% of under-5 deaths (30.1/1000). Methods: A cross-sectional study of newborn care in five provincial hospitals using a World Health Organization assessment tool for hospital quality of care. Twelve months of neonatal records of the National Referral Ho..