There is a large body of evidence on effective interventions on resource-limited settings in low- and middle-income settings. The systematic reviews published in this Supplement provided data that members of the Guidelines Development Group analysed and were used to make the current WHO Recommendations on Postnatal Care of the Mother and Newborn. Millions of neonatal lives could be saved in the next years by timely implementation of therapies proven to be effective. In the recent Every Newborn Lancet series, it has been estimated that the neonatal survival benefits that would accrue from scale up of package of care of the small and sick neonates are second only to those with interventions around childbirth. In that light, the WHO recommendations based on these reviews provide an opportune policy impetus toward achieving post-2015 neonatal mortality targets. It is time for all constituencies to act to eliminate preventable deaths in babies.
Disclosure
This supplement was funded by the Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Development, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS
When do newborns die? A systematic review of timing of overall and cause-specific neonatal deaths in developing countries
M J Sankar, C K Natarajan, R R Das, R Agarwal, A Chandrasekaran and V K Paul
J Perinatol 36: S1-S11; doi:10.1038/jp.2016.27
Umbilical cord cleansing with chlorhexidine in neonates: a systematic review
M J Sankar, A Chandrasekaran, A Ravindranath, R Agarwal and V K Paul
J Perinatol 36: S12-S20; doi:10.1038/jp.2016.28
Efficacy and safety of CPAP in low- and middle-income countries
A Thukral, M J Sankar, A Chandrasekaran, R Agarwal and V K Paul
J Perinatol 36: S21-S28; doi:10.1038/jp.2016.29
Vitamin K prophylaxis for prevention of vitamin K deficiency bleeding: a systematic review
M J Sankar, A Chandrasekaran, P Kumar, A Thukral, R Agarwal and V K Paul
J Perinatol 36: S29-S35; doi:10.1038/jp.2016.30
Efficacy and safety of surfactant replacement therapy for preterm neonates with respiratory distress syndrome in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review
M J Sankar, N Gupta, K Jain, R Agarwal and V K Paul
J Perinatol 36: S36-S48; doi:10.1038/jp.2016.31
Surfactant therapy and antibiotics in neonates with meconium aspiration syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis
C K Natarajan, M J Sankar, K Jain, R Agarwal and V K Paul
J Perinatol 36: S49-S54; doi:10.1038/jp.2016.32
Home-based neonatal care by community health workers for preventing mortality in neonates in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review
S Gogia and H P S Sachdev
J Perinatol 36: S55-S73; doi:10.1038/jp.2016.33
Home visits by community health workers to improve identification of serious illness and care seeking in newborns and young infants from low- and middle-income countries
A Tripathi, S K Kabra, H P S Sachdev and R Lodha
J Perinatol 36: S74-S82; doi:10.1038/jp.2016.34
The effect of coverings, including plastic bags and wraps, on mortality and morbidity in preterm and full-term neonates
H K Oatley, H Blencowe and J E Lawn
J Perinatol 36: S83-S89; doi:10.1038/jp.2016.35