title: Neonatal Mortality and Morbidity in Regional Provincial Hospitals in the People's Democratic Republic of Laos.
abstract: The aim of this study was to identify the causes and incidences of neonatal diseases and deaths in five provincial hospitals in People's Democratic Republic of Laos retrospectively for the years 2010-12.
  
  
  
  Data of neonatal patients were collected before a 3-year-training program for medical and nursing staff involved in the care of newborn infants in the provincial and associated district hospitals.
  
  
  
  In the years 2010-12, a total of 1673 neonatal patients were treated in the provincial hospitals. The reasons of treatment were as follows: 48% infections, 17% complications of prematurity, 14% intrapartum-related complications and 9% other, not categorized diseases. The average mortality rate in all hospitals was 6.5%. The main causes of death were complications because of prematurity, infectious diseases and asphyxia.
  
  
  
  These data could be the basis for any teaching program aimed at reducing neonatal mortality. Furthermore, they enable an evaluation of the ongoing teaching program.
authors: Department of Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care, Childreńs University Hospital, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany simone@email-schmidt.de.
authors: Simone
authors: S
authors: Schmidt
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Luang Namtha Provincial Hospital, 03000, Luang Namtha, Lao PDR.
authors: Phouvieng
authors: P
authors: Duangdala
authors: Department of Health Care, Ministry of Health, 01030, Vientiane, Lao PDR.
authors: Bounnack
authors: B
authors: Saysanasongkham
authors: Department of Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care, Childreńs University Hospital, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors: Hemmen
authors: H
authors: Sabir
authors: Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Hospital Dresden, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
authors: Sebastian
authors: S
authors: Brenner
authors: Department of Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care, University Hospital Ulm, 89075, Ulm, Germany.
authors: Manuel
authors: M
authors: Schmid
authors: Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Vivantes Klinikum Neukölln, 12351, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Kuehn
authors: Department of Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care, Childreńs University Hospital, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Hoehn
mesh_terms: D001237:Asphyxia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006767:Hospitals, District; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007812:Laos / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Laos; Southeast Asia; neonatal mortality; teaching program