TIME TO DEATH AND ITS PREDICTORS AMONG NEONATES ADMITTED WITH NEONATAL SEPSIS AT PUBLIC COMPREHENSIVE AND GENERAL HOSPITALS OF WEST ARSI ZONE, SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA, 2023

Abstract

Introduction: Each year, 3.6 million deaths in children under the age of five are attributable to neonatal mortality, which accounts for 41% of all deaths in children under the age of five. The bulk of these deaths occur in low-income countries, and almost a million of these neonatal deaths are either directly or indirectly related to neonatal sepsis. Objective: The main aim of this study were to assess time to death and its predictors among neonates admitted with neonatal sepsis at public comprehensive and general hospitals in the West Arsi Zone, southern Ethiopia, 2023. Method: Facility based retrospective follow up study were employed to conduct the study from May 30 to June 30, 2023. Data were downloaded from Kobo toolbox and checked for completeness, edited, coded and consistency checked using Microsoft Excel. The association were summarized using an adjusted hazard ratio and statistical significance were declared at 95%CI and P-value <0.05. The Cox-proportional hazard regression, model goodness-of-fit were checked by Cox Snell residuals. Lastly, the results were presented using texts, tables, and graphs. Result: In this study, out of 526 neonates with neonatal sepsis 67(12.7%) (95% CI: 10, 15.9) neonates were died. From all deaths, about 56(83.6%) of the neonates died within first week of life. The overall incidence of neonatal mortality was 16.1 per 1000 neonatal days. The mean time to death among neonates died were 7.9 days (95% CI: 7.63, 8.19). Having respiratory distress during admission (AHR: 2.34, 95%CI: (1.17, 4.71)), initiation of breast feeding within one hour(AHR: 0.34, 95%CI: (0.18, 0.64)), having comorbidity (AHR: 1.84, 95%CI: (1.01, 3.33)), and maternal health problem (AHR: 2.25, 95%CI: (1.33, 3.82)) were found to be significant predictors of neonatal mortality. Conclusion: This study revealed that among the neonates followed, 67 (12.7%) (95% CI: 10, 15.9) died during the follow-up period. Having respiratory distress during admission, initiation of breast feeding within one hour of birth, having comorbidity, and maternal health problem during pregnancy were found to be predictors of mortality among neonates admitted with neonatal sepsis