2025/09/04 by Kassawmar Ambaye1, Ali Yimer2
paper · doi:10.20372/nadre:17241
Background: Neonatal sepsis is the most serious problem in neonates. It is the<br> leading cause of neonatal death in developing countries, particularly in subSaharan Africa. The Ethiopian 2016 Demographic Health Survey report revealed<br> that a high number of neonatal deaths are associated with neonatal sepsis.<br> However, limited studies are available on exposure and time to recovery<br> inferences in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the time to<br> recovery from neonatal sepsis and its determinants among neonates admitted<br> to Woldia Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (WCSH), Northeast Ethiopia.<br> Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, including 351 neonates,<br> using systematic random sampling at WCSH from 7 to 30 March 2023. The data<br> were entered into Epi data version 4.6 and exported to STATA 14 for analysis.<br> Cox regression was used to identify the determinants of time to recovery from<br> neonatal sepsis, and a variable with a p-value of less than 0.05, was used to<br> declare significant association at a 95% confidence interval.<br> Result: Among 351 neonates with sepsis, 276 (78.63%) recovered, and the median<br> time to recovery was 6 days. Induced labor (AHR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.369, 0.78) and<br> resuscitation at birth (AHR = 0.7, 95% CI: 0.51, 0.974) were significantly associated<br> with the recovery time of neonatal sepsis.<br> Conclusions and recommendation: The time to recovery from neonatal sepsis is<br> comparable to previous studies’ results. The 25th and 75th percentiles were 4 and<br> 8 days, respectively. Health professionals working in the NICU need to pay special<br> attention to neonates born from mothers who had induced labor and those who<br> were resuscitated at birth.<br>