Infant Mortality
Introduction
Infant mortality has taken a toll at the nation as a whole apart from the families and mothers who loses their babies to different causes. The death of a baby is by far the most devastating event a parent can ever go through in a lifetime. Child mortality remains a sad reality for the whole nation, especially the sole parents and families who are unfortunate enough to experience child death. According to CDC, over 23,000 infants died in the country in the year 2014 alone. The number represents the reported cases of child death across the country. Almost a similar number of babies die without being reported (CDC: 2012). Infant mortality has an adverse effect on the society and the nation a whole as it affects the well-being of the families and parents alike.
The demise of a child before or after it has attained the age of one day old is known as infant mortality. There are numerous reasons that cause child death at or after birth. Child death that occurs between 28 days and eleven months is known as postneonatal death. On the other hand, child death that occurs within the first 28 days of childbirth is referred to as neonatal death (Cook & Cook, 2013). While there are different causes of each child mortality type, most of the causes of child death are common in both neonatal and postneonatal mortality. There are at least 6 out of a thousand children that die in their first year of birth across the country. While there are numerous causes of child mortality, some causes are more adverse and widespread than others. Preterm birth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, injuries and birth defects constitute some of the most shared and leading causes of childbirth in the country.
Child mortality presents adverse effects not only for the affected families but the nation as a whole. There are numerous effects and adverse impacts associated with child mortality; neonatal and postneonatal alike. Childbirth and pregnancy present tremendous impacts on the health and well-being of women as well as their families (Davies, 2011). Infant mortality negates the positive impact that pregnancy and childbirth have on the mother and their families alike. Apart from the health of the mother, pregnancy-related health outcomes are affected by other factors such as the type of health care available, race, age, and ethnicity.
Approximately four million children are born each year in the country. Out of this number, 28,000 children are lost to various causes of child mortality. The statistics suggest that the current child mortality rate is 6.9 per 1000. In other words, for every 1000 children born in the country, seven children succumb to death owing to various reasons. Even through the rate of child mortality has been on a reduction path over the past few years, the current rate is still not desirable (CDC: 2012). The government as the private organizations have formulated and implemented various interventions to mitigate the effects of child mortality across the country.
The adverse impacts of child mortality demand the need and application of more active and effective infant mortality interventions across the country. There are a considerable amount of evidence that exist about the factors that affect infant mortality. Different types of evidence-based practices have been applied to mitigate the effects child mortality. A positive outcome has been reported through the use of evidence-based practices that aim at the most at-risk groups (Cook & Cook, 2013). There are various factors and methods that have been proven to mitigate the current rate of child mortality across the country.
PICOT QUESTIONS
The adverse effects associated with child mortality warrant the need for better and improved intervention techniques to mitigate child death across the country. It is imperative to investigate and research deeper on the factors that cause infant mortality; neonatal and post-neonatal mortality alike (Cook & Cook, 2013). These factors will form the basis of the research materials for the research to address the PICOT questions previously formulated. The following are the formulated PICOT questions from this research topic;
In black women, how do cultural beliefs in child care compared to evidence-based child care reduce the rate of infant death within the first few months of birth?
The population in the question is “the black women”. Cultural beliefs are known to be strong among black women as compared to the other races. The intervention, in this case, is evidence-based child care. Cultural beliefs represent the comparison and the alternative to evidence-based child care. The outcome is "reduced rate of infant death" and the time frame is "a few months of birth (Davies, 2011).
In expectant women under 30 years old, how does the application of safer sleeping environment compared to the administration of prenatal medication inhibit postneonatal mortality?
The population in this question is "women under 30n years old". The intervention for this question is "application of safer sleeping environment". The comparison is represented by the administration of prenatal medication while the Outcome prevention of postneonatal mortality.
In infants below the age of 28 days, how does the oral administration of vitamin K prophylaxis compared parenteral dose in preventing vitamin K deficiency bleeding in new born?
The population is represented by infants below the age of 28 days. The intervention in this question is ‘the oral administration of vitamin K prophylaxis. The comparison is represented a parenteral dose of vitamin K prophylaxis. The outcome of the question is the prevention of vitamin K deficiency bleeding (Davies, 2011).
In low-weight newborns below the age of 28 days, is convectional care more effective as compared to Kangaroo Mother Care in the reduction of morbidity or mortality?
The Population in this question is represented by low-weight newborns below the age of 28 days. The Intervention is represented by convectional care while the Comparison and alternative are Kangaroo Mother Care. The outcome of the question is a reduction of morbidity or mortality.
In healthy infants below the age of 11 months and born to low-income families, does dry wrapping of the baby compared to early skin contact between the baby and the mother have an effect on neonatal mortality?
The population in this question is healthy infants below the age of 11 months who are born in low-income families. The intervention is represented by drying wrapping of the baby while the comparison and alternative are early skin contact between the mother and the infant. The outcome of the question is the effect on neonatal mortality (Davies, 2011).
Some of the keywords that can be used for this PICOT question include infant mortality, infant morbidity, postneonatal, neonatal, prenatal care, pregnant women below 30, cause of child mortality, child mortality interventions, and preterm birth.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC. (2012). Postneonatal mortality among Alaska Native infants-Alaska, 1989-2009. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 61(1), 1.
Cook, B. G., & Cook, S. C. (2013). Unraveling evidence-based practices in special education. The Journal of Special Education, 47(2), 71-82.
Davies, K. S. (2011). Formulating the evidence-based practice question: a review of the frameworks. Evidence-Based Library and Information Practice,6(2), 75-80.
