ArticleBMJ open2023
Neonatal mortality in NHS maternity units by timing and mode of birth: a retrospective linked cohort study.
Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Causes of neonatal mortality in the European Economic Area and Switzerland: a WHO-based analysis and systematic review.European journal of pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- Effect of birth timing on early morbidity and mortality in very preterm neonates: a single-center retrospective cohort study.BMC pediatrics · 2026Article
- Evaluating a neonatal public health education and empowerment programme to reduce infant mortality risks: insights from parents and facilitators in the midlands, UK.Frontiers in global women's health · 2026Article
- Influence of time of birth in early neonatal mortality and morbidity: retrospective cohort study.BMJ paediatrics open · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo compare neonatal mortality in English hospitals by time of day and day of the week according to care pathway.
designRetrospective cohort linking birth registration, birth notification and hospital episode data.
settingNational Health Service (NHS) hospitals in England.
participants6 054 536 liveborn singleton births from 2005 to 2014 in NHS maternity units in England.
main outcome measuresNeonatal mortality.
resultsAfter adjustment for confounders, there was no significant difference in the odds of neonatal mortality attributed to asphyxia, anoxia or trauma outside of working hours compared with working hours for spontaneous births or instrumental births. Stratification of emergency caesareans by onset of labour showed no difference in mortality by birth timing for emergency caesareans with spontaneous or induced onset of labour. Higher odds of neonatal mortality attributed to asphyxia, anoxia or trauma out of hours for emergency caesareans without labour translated to a small absolute difference in mortality risk.
conclusionsThe apparent 'weekend effect' may result from deaths among the relatively small numbers of babies who were coded as born by emergency caesarean section without labour outside normal working hours. Further research should investigate the potential contribution of care-seeking and community-based factors as well as the adequacy of staffing for managing these relatively unusual emergencies.
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