INTRODUCTION: The achievement of the 4th millennium development goal needs the reduction of infant mortality, itself dominated by neonatal mortality. Our study aims to establish the influence of the various diagnosis levels on newborn children mortality at hospital environment in Abidjan. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The retrospective study took place in 2006, since january 1st to december 31, in the neonatal unit of the teaching hospital of Yopougon, which represents the top level of the sanitary pyramid in Cote d'Ivoire. All the newborn children who died during their hospitalization, were included. Three levels of diagnosis were identified for the classification of the population of study: the level A (Story of the disease and clinical examination), the level B (laboratory exams for diagnostic assumption), the level C (laboratory exams for diagnostic certainty). RESULTS: The overall mortality was 28.24 %. The majority of deaths (92.4 %) occurred during the early neonatal period with 62.5 % of deaths on the day of birth. The cause of deaths was dominated by infection (52 %) and perinatal asphyxia (36 %). The mortality rate was inversely proportional to the level of diagnostic: 53.68 % at level A, 38.42 % at level B and 7.90 % at level C. CONCLUSION: The availability of sufficient and accessible technical equipments, is necessary in order to improve the level of the newborn children care and to ensure the best diagnosis, the security of a more efficient coverage and consequently the reduction of the neonatal mortality in hospital environment, in developing countries.
INTRODUCTION: The achievement of the 4th millennium development goal needs the reduction of infant mortality, itself dominated by neonatal mortality. Our study aims to establish the influence of the various diagnosis levels on newborn children mortality at hospital environment in Abidjan. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The retrospective study took place in 2006, since january 1st to december 31, in the neonatal unit of the teaching hospital of Yopougon, which represents the top level of the sanitary pyramid in Cote d'Ivoire. All the newborn children who died during their hospitalization, were included. Three levels of diagnosis were identified for the classification of the population of study: the level A (Story of the disease and clinical examination), the level B (laboratory exams for diagnostic assumption), the level C (laboratory exams for diagnostic certainty). RESULTS: The overall mortality was 28.24 %. The majority of deaths (92.4 %) occurred during the early neonatal period with 62.5 % of deaths on the day of birth. The cause of deaths was dominated by infection (52 %) and perinatal asphyxia (36 %). The mortality rate was inversely proportional to the level of diagnostic: 53.68 % at level A, 38.42 % at level B and 7.90 % at level C. CONCLUSION: The availability of sufficient and accessible technical equipments, is necessary in order to improve the level of the newborn children care and to ensure the best diagnosis, the security of a more efficient coverage and consequently the reduction of the neonatal mortality in hospital environment, in developing countries.