Experience and perceptions of healthcare providers on clinical management and care of near-miss infants: a qualitative content analysis.

Introduction: Neonatal Near Miss (NNM) refers to neonates with severe complications who almost died but survived immediately after birth. In Ethiopia, the prevalence of NNM has been assessed using a validated Neonatal Near-Miss Assessment Scale. However, understanding the experiences and perceptions of healthcare providers in the clinical management and care of NNM infants remains unexplored. The aim was to investigate the determinants contributing to the survival of neonatal near-miss babies and to identify any barriers encountered, as reported by the experiences of healthcare providers in public hospitals of Amhara Regional State, northwest Ethiopia.

Methods: Semi structured interviews were used to collect data from 25 midwives, nurses, and pediatricians with at least six months of prior experience in one of the labor wards or neonatal intensive care units at one of the four public health hospitals in the Amhara Regional state of northwest Ethiopia included in a large intervention study assessing a NNM scale. Purposeful sampling was used, selecting participants based on their experiences related to the aim of this study. The participants had a varying level of education and years of experience to care for NNM infants. The average age of the healthcare providers was 31 years, with 7 years of work experience. The transcripts of the interviews with the healthcare providers were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Results: The experience and perceptions of healthcare providers was described in the main category "A sense of hopelessness when caring for the baby" capturing a broader emotional and professional aspect, while the subcategories "Unclear responsibilities discharging one's mission", "Provision of kangaroo mother care" and "Quick action required at birth" are more specific and practical. Healthcare providers perceived a sense of hopelessness when caring for the NNM infant, particularly providing Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) and quick actions when required at birth to save the life of the infant.

Conclusion: Unclear responsibilities and a sense of hopelessness could have acted as barriers, hindering the ability of healthcare providers to fulfill their mission of taking swift actions and providing KMC to NNM infants, thus impacting their ability to save the lives of these infants. Healthcare providers' and parents' attitudes must be changed towards hope rather than hopelessness when caring for NNM infants.