Abstract

EARNEST: Early Assessment and Referral of Newborns enabling safer Triage

Author(s): Samarth Sahai

Neonatal mortality is one of the defining yardsticks of a country's progress. A newborn screening protocol termed EARNEST devised by the author was tested to see its impact in improving the efficacy of newborn care being provided.This pilot study carried out over 3 months tested its ease of usage ,impact on timely referral and on improving efficacy of the staff involved in newborn care in the neonatal triage. This was tested in a district hospital attached to a medical college in Rajasthan, a desert state in India and having very high neonatal mortality rates .