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. 2019 Apr 26;8(1):103.
doi: 10.1186/s13643-019-1012-x.

Neonatal mortality in Ethiopia: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Tesfalidet Tekelab  1   2 , Mohammed Akibu  3 , Negash Tagesse  4 , Temesgen Tilhaun  5 , Yosef Yohanes  6 , Smriti Nepal  7
Affiliations

Neonatal mortality in Ethiopia: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Tesfalidet Tekelab et al. Syst Rev. .

Abstract

Background: A child's risk of dying is highest in the neonatal period, i.e. the first 28 days of life. Newborn death accounts for nearly half of under-five death. More than 80% of newborn deaths are the result of preventable and treatable conditions. Ethiopia has made significant progress towards reducing under-five mortality; however, the rate of neonatal mortality (NMR) still accounts for 41% of under-five deaths. With this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aim to determine the magnitude, causes, and determinants of neonatal mortality in Ethiopia.

Methods: We will conduct a comprehensive search of the following electronic databases: PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Google Scholar, and maternity and infant care databases as well as grey literature. We will assess the quality of studies by using Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) checklist. Two reviewers will screen all retrieved articles, conduct data extraction, and then critically appraise all identified studies. We will analyse data by using STATA 11 statistical software. We will demonstrate pooled estimates and determinants of neonatal mortality with effect size and 95% confidence interval.

Discussion: The result from this systematic review will inform and guide health policy planners and researchers on the burden, causes, and determinants of neonatal mortality in Ethiopia. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review in Ethiopia. We will synthesise the findings to generate up-to-date knowledge on neonatal mortality in Ethiopia.

Systematic review registration: PROSPERO-CRD42018099663.

Keywords: Causes of neonatal mortality; Ethiopia; Meta-analysis; Neonatal mortality.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors’ information

TT is a PhD candidate at the University of Newcastle, Australia, and lecturer of Reproductive and Maternal Health , Institute of Health Sciences, Wollega University, Ethiopia.

MA is lecturer at Department of Midwifery, Institute of Medicine and Health sciences, Debre Berhan University, Ethiopia.

NT is a paediatrician and lecturer at Department of Paediatrics, Hawassa University, Ethiopia.

TT is an associate professor of obstetrician and gynaecology at the Institute of Health Sciences, Wollega University, Ethiopia.

YY is lecturer at Hawassa College of Health Science, Hawassa, Ethiopia.

SN is PhD candidate at School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Australia.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

Not applicable, since the protocol does not contain any individual person’s data.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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