San Francisco, CA – Preterm babies born in hospitals receiving a package of quality improvement strategies aimed at care during the intrapartum period, implemented by UCSF’s East Africa Preterm Birth Initiative (PTBi EA) in Kenya and Uganda, had a 34% greater chance of surviving to 28 days compared to preterm babies born in hospitals that did not receive the intervention package. The program also led to reductions in fresh stillbirths and mortality among all babies born in intervention hospitals. PTBI EA will present these transformative findings in an upcoming webinar Transforming the Culture of Care Improves Preterm Birth Survival taking place Wednesday, July 29 at 9 am, PST.
In 2018, an estimated 2.5 million babies died before their first birthday and another 2.5 million were stillborn. Preterm birth complications are the leading cause of death among children under 5 years of age.
Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this study was led by a partnership comprising of the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), Kenya Medical Research Institute, (KEMRI) and Uganda’s Makerere University. The multi-country implementation trial was designed to leverage existing resources and promote evidence-based practices to improve survival among preterm and low-birth weight babies.