Neonatal Transfer Situation Following Implementation of a Perinatal Network: An Analysis in Douala, Cameroon

Background: Postnatal transfer (PT) is interhospital transport of care-needing newborns. In 2016, a perinatal network was implemented to facilitate PT in the town of Douala, Cameroon. The network was supposed to improve PTrelated care standards. This study aimed at determining characteristics of PT five years following the implementation of this network. Methods: A crosssectional study was carried out from February to May 2021 at neonatology wards of six hospitals in Douala. Medical records of newborns transferred to the hospitals were scrutinized to document their characteristics. Parents were contacted to obtain information on PT route and itinerary. Data were analyzed using Epi Info software and summarized as percentages, mean and odds ratio. Results: In total, 234 of the 1159 newborns admitted were transferred, giving a PT prevalence of 20.2% (95% CI 17.9% 22.6%). Male-to-female ratio of the transferred newborns was 1.3. Neonatal infection (26.5%), prematurity (23.5%) and respiratory distress (15.4%) were the main reasons for transfer. Only 3% of the PT was medicalized while only 2% of the newborns were transferred through perinatal network. On admission, hypothermia and respiratory distress were found in 31% and 35% of the newborns, respectively. The mortality rate among babies was 20% and these had a two-fold risk of dying (95% CI 1.58 3.44, p < 0.0001). Conclusion: PT and the perinatal network are lowly organized and implemented in Douala. Sensitization of medical staff on in utero transfer, creating center for coordination of the How to cite this paper: Koum, D.K., Njinkui, D.N., Magnibou, M.C., Foko, L.P.K., Eposse, C., Mbono, R., Eboumbou, P.E. and Penda, C.I. (2022) Neonatal Transfer Situation Following Implementation of a Perinatal Network: An Analysis in Douala, Cameroon. Open Journal of Pediatrics, 12, 148161. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojped.2022.121016 Received: December 30, 2021 Accepted: February 27, 2022 Published: March 2, 2022 Copyright © 2022 by author(s) and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access