The effect of birth-weight and instrumental delivery on neonatal birth trauma in Ethiopia: systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Birth trauma is one of the most common causes of neonatal mortality in a resource-limited country. However, there is no national evidence on the magnitude and associated factors of neonatal birth trauma in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate pooled prevalence of neonatal birth trauma and its association with birth-weight and instrumental delivery in the Ethiopian context. PubMed, Scopus, CINAHIL, Cochrane library and Google Scholar were used to search significant articles. Suitable search terms were developed and used to retrieve studies from databases. Searching was limited to cohort, cross-sectional, and case-control studies conducted in Ethiopia and published in English language. Critical appraisal was conducted by using Joanna Briggs Institute Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-MAStARI). Heterogeneity across the included studies was evaluated by using the inconsistency index (I2) test. STATA™ version 11 software was used to conduct the meta-analysis. A total of 7 studies with 4063 study participants were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The overall pooled prevalence of neonatal birth trauma in Ethiopia was 13.4% (95% CI; (10.86, 15.95). instrumental delivery and ABO large birth weight were significantly associated with the prevalence of neonatal birth trauma. The national pooled prevalence of neonatal birth trauma was found to be high in Ethiopia. Instrumental delivery and large birth-weight were significantly associated with neonatal birth trauma in Ethiopia. Thus, it is better to give strong obstetric care during the use instrumental delivery.