The Association of the Neonatal Mortality Score and Clinical Outcomes in Newborns Delivered in a Tertiary Hospital in Cebu City, Philippines from December 2021 to July 2022

“The Association of the Neonatal Mortality Score and Clinical Outcomes in Newborns Delivered in a Tertiary Hospital in Cebu City, Philippines from December 2021 to July 2022”

Several neonatal scoring systems have been developed to predict illness severity and mortality risk. However, they are designed for high-income countries- using parameters that are not often measurable in some settings. The Neonatal Mortality Score was developed for resource-limited settings with the following parameters: level of consciousness, respiratory distress, gestational age, and birthweight.

To determine the association between the Neonatal Mortality Score and clinical outcomes among newborns Study design, setting and population Prospective cross-sectional study that included newborns delivered in a tertiary hospital in Cebu City, Philippines.

The mortality risk of neonates was assessed using the Neonatal Mortality Score. All were followed-up until discharge, and outcomes were recorded and analyzed.

There was an association between the Neonatal Mortality Score and clinical outcomes with an AUC of 0.989 [95% CI, 0.971-1.000]. Using a cut-off of 13.5, the overall sensitivity was 100%, specificity was 97.43%, positive predictive value was 18.18%, and negative predictive value was 100%. Among the parameters used, respiratory distress, and low birthweight showed an association with clinical outcomes. The admission disposition and length of stay also showed a significant association with Neonatal Mortality Scores.

The Neonatal Mortality Score may be used in resource-limited settings to anticipate neonatal mortality, and predict admission disposition and length of stay, stratifying neonates with increased risk for death, thereby reducing early complications. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Funding Statement This study did not receive any funding. Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: Ethics committee/IRB of Perpetual Succour Hospital of Cebu, Inc. gave ethical approval for this work. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes Data Availability All data produced in the present work are contained in the manuscript.