Table 3.

Priority areas for future research

Antenatal care

Confirm content of routine newborn care advice to mothers

Determine acceptable ways to increase antenatal care attendance

Intrapartum care

Determine reasons complicated deliveries occur at home or in private clinics, and barriers to use of quality healthcare facilities

Audit use of forceps by birth attendants

Evaluate recognition of birth asphyxia by birth attendants and resuscitation techniques

Postnatal care

Evaluate thermal control knowledge/practice of birth attendants and determine causes of neonatal hypothermia

Determine reasons for delayed mother-newborn contact, lack of skin-to-skin contact, and delayed initiation of breastfeeding

Danger signs

Evaluate ability of birth attendants to recognize neonatal danger signs

Evaluate ability of birth attendants to use simple algorithms to identify serious illness

Evaluate referral practices of birth attendants

Overall

Determine cultural, socioeconomic, and infrastructural reasons for regional differences in practices

Quantify impact of birth attendants on neonatal morbidity and mortality