Community based interventions for improving perinatal and neonatal health outcomes in developing countries a review of evidence

This review of community-based antenatal intrapartum, and postnatal intervention trials in developing countries aimed to identify key behaviors and interventions for which the weight of evidence is sufficient to recommend their inclusion in community based neonatal care programs and key gaps in knowledge and priority areas for future research and program learning. A paucity of community-based data was found from developing-country studies on health status impact for many interventions currently being considered for inclusion in neonatal health programs. However, review of the evidence and consideration of the broader context of knowledge, experience, and recommendations regarding these interventions enabled us to categorize them according to the strength of the evidence base and confidence regarding their inclusion now in programs. This article identifies a package of priority interventions to include in programs and formulates research priorities for advancing the state of the art in neonatal health care.