Hurdles in quality neonatal health care provision in an urban city of India: providers’ perspective - a cross sectional study

Background: Improving the quality of neonatal intensive care should be an important health policy priority. A formal assessment of barriers and priorities for quality improvement has not been undertaken.

Objectives: To identify various barriers in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hindering the provision of quality neonatal care as identified by clinicians working in the NICU.

Study population: Doctors working in the Level 2 and Level 3 NICUs, Hyderabad.

Study duration: One year from November 2018 to November 2019.

Study design: Cross-sectional study.

Method: Questionnaires were distributed to each eligible clinician working in level 2 and level 3 NICUs. Completed questionnaires were collected back within one week.

Results: Most of the respondents identified family inability to pay (63, 83%), lack of health insurance (52, 68%) as the principal barriers to quality health care provision. Poor remuneration (35, 46%) and team member burnout were pointed out as institutional barriers to quality care.

Conclusions: In this study, clinicians identified family inability to pay and lack of health insurance as the principal clinical barriers to quality health care provision. They also identified poor remunerationand team member burnout as the principal institutional barriers to quality care.

Sri Lanka Journal of Child Health, 2021; 50(2): 228-232