In a crisis, pregnant and recently delivered women must overcome immense obstacles to provide care for their children. At the same time, women’s vulnerability to malnutrition, sexual violence, and unplanned pregnancy increases; and so do the risks related to unassisted childbirth. Children under five years of age often experience significantly higher mortality rates than other age groups within emergency and disaster-affected populations and are frequently considered to be the most vulnerable population.
Despite improvements globally in newborn health, relatively poor outcomes persist in areas considered fragile or unstable. To help address these critical needs, an inter-agency collaboration developed the Newborn Health in Humanitarian Settings: Field Guide (NBFG), which serves as a compilation and summary of existing WHO standards of care for newborn health with additional guidance on how to provide newborn services in the context of a humanitarian setting.
This online toolkit was created as an essential component to the field guide to house useful documentation, tools for training, technical guidance and logistics management to support all health professionals working in newborn health in humanitarian or conflict and emergency settings. If you or your colleagues have any materials to add to this toolkit, please email them to hnnwashington@gmail.com
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Background Documents
Building off prior commitments, promises, and reports spanning over the last 25 years, the documents in this section provide a foundation and historical understanding for current newborn work in emergency settings. Global goals and schools of thought are summarized and applied to newborn work in this section.
- Ending preventable maternal and newborn mortality and stillbirths
This paper builds upon two strategic plans—Every Newborn: An Action Plan to End Preventable Deaths (ENAP) and the Strategies toward Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality (EPMM)6 7—that aim to catalyse global action to eliminate wide disparities in the risk of death and end preventable maternal and newborn mortality and stillbirths within a generation. - Every Newborn: An Action Plan to End Preventable Deaths
This resource is based on the latest epidemiology, evidence and global and country learning, and supports the United Nations Secretary-General’s Every Woman Every Child movement. The preparation was guided by the advice of experts and partners, led by WHO and UNICEF, and by the outcome of several multi-stakeholder consultations and a web-based consultation with more than 300 comments. - Global, regional, and national causes of under-5 mortality in 2000-15: an updated systemic analysis with implications for the Sustainable Development Goals
The article presents estimates of mortality for early neonatal (age 0–6 days), late neonatal (7–28 days), post-neonatal (29–364 days), childhood (1–4 years), and under-5 (0–4 years) age groups for 188 countries from 1970 to 2013, with more than 29,000 data points collated from surveys, censuses, registration, and registration records. - The Lancet – Every Newborn Series 2014
A series of papers, published May 2014 in The Lancet, presents an evidence-based picture of progress and challenges for improving newborn survival around the world, and sets targets to be achieved by 2030 aimed at ensuring every newborn has a healthy start. - Committing to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed: Progress Report 2015
Since 1990, the world has cut both the rate and number of under-five deaths by more than half. Since 2000, we have saved the lives of 48 million children under 5. This report takes stock of global collective progress towards the commitment to child survival. - Levels and Trends in Child Mortality: Report 2017
This report from UNICEF and its partners in the Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (IGME), presents the full scope of child and newborn mortality across the world. In addition to global estimates for under-five, infant and newborn mortality, the report contains, for the first time, mortality estimates for children aged 5-14. - Global, regional, and national levels of neonatal, infant, and under-5 mortality during 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013
The article presents estimates of mortality for early neonatal (age 0–6 days), late neonatal (7–28 days), post-neonatal (29–364 days), childhood (1–4 years), and under-5 (0–4 years) age groups for 188 countries from 1970 to 2013, with more than 29,000 data points collated from surveys, censuses, registration, and registration records. - Levels and Trends in Child Mortality – 2018 Report
Gives the current facts on under 5, infant, and neonatal mortality. Identifies the trends and progress at various levels. It also provides information on the methods used to collect mortality data. - Preliminary Report: Reproductive Age Mortality Study (RAMOS) in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
The study provides maternal mortality data among the Rohingya. The causes of each pregnancy related death are given as well as their frequency. Neonatal deaths also recorded. - Newborns in Crisis: An Outline of Neonatal Ethical Dilemmas in Humanitarian Medicine
Research article aiming to address ethical guidance during newborn care and resuscitation in conflict settings. It reviews existing ethical guidelines, identifies ethical questions, and provides recommendations for ethical decision making. - Essential Newborn Care Practice at Four Primary Health Facilities in Conflict Affected Areas of Bossaso, Somalia
A cross sectional study used to examine the baseline availability of essential newborn care to determine how effective implementation of the Newborn Health in Humanitarian Settings Field Guide will be. Both essential newborn care and experience with childbirth care were examined in Bossaso, Somalia for the analysis. - Surviving Day One: Caring for Mothers and Newborns in Humanitarian Emergencies on the Day of Childbirth
Provides the maternal and newborn mortality rates in protracted emergencies and recent data from countries affected by humanitarian crisis. It discusses the actions needed to save maternal and newborn lives. - National, Regional, and Worldwide Estimates of Stillbirth Rates
Estimation of still birth rates from 195 countries from 2000 to 2015 and also provides trends seen in SBRs. - Born Too Soon
Report highlights evidence-based solutions to save and care for preterm babies. It highlights statistics of preterm birth around the world and suggests priority interventions to reduce the preterm birth rate by 2025.
Assessment
The tools included in this section are intended for use when measuring capacity of healthcare in an established system, capacity for strengthening, or provider’s skills.
- Site Assessment and Strengthening for Maternal and Newborn Health Programs
This toolkit presents a process and tools that can be used to conduct facility-level site assessment and strengthening with the goal of improving essential maternal and newborn care. - Guidelines for Assessment of Skilled Providers After Training in Maternal and Newborn Healthcare
These tools are intended to support continued skills for newly trained providers in maternal and newborn healthcare within 3 months of training completion, such as physicians, midwives, anesthetists, obstetricians, supervisors or trainers. This guide provides a comprehensive assessment of skills, knowledge, clinical decision-making, and service delivery. - Newborn Services Rapid Health Facility Assessment
This tool includes indicators and questions for assessing newborn care services at facilities. It was developed by the Inter-agency Newborn Indicators Technical Working Group convened by the Saving Newborn Lives program at Save the Children. - Health Resources Availability Mapping System (HeRAMS)
This tool provides a map to explain the many cluster response domains within the levels of a health care system, and provides a checklist of health services that should be available for each level of care: community, primary, secondary, and tertiary. - Newborn Health Interventions in Camps in Bangladesh – Checklist for Clinical and Program Supervisors
This checklist covers various components (health, supplies, skills) across ENC, LBW care, & newborn infections. It was used by the Health Cluster SRH WG in CXB Bangladesh. - Key Steps for Maternal and Newborn Health Care in Humanitarian Settings –Needs Assessment
- Appendix 1 provides assessment on number of births each month, potential complications and referrals.
- Appendix 2 is a guide to identify facilities and health workers with midwifery skills to estimate capacity of services
- Appendix 3 outlines number of delivery kits needed and how to order them
- Immediate and Essential Newborn Care Checklist
Supervision checklist to ensure that quality services are being provided. Includes maternity ward, preparation for birth, immediate newborn care, respiratory distress, and discharge - Newborn Observation Action Plan
This resource gives guidelines for making health observations in health facilities in order to provide high quality of newborn care. Includes areas of focus for before, during, and after observations.
Program Implementation
Resources, guides and job aids included in this section are intended to support healthcare workers in the implementation of programmatic work, which supports newborn care and survival outcomes in established health facilities, during home visits and post-natal checkups.
Click to expand each section.
Anenatal Care
- Templates for Pregnancy Posters
Four templates for danger signs of childbirth, danger signs of pregnancy, preparing for childbirth, and health facility awareness.
Postnatal Care
- PNC Bedside Pre-Discharge Poster, Africa
This poster describes potential danger signs or complications that may be observed in mother or baby within the first few days after giving birth. - PNC Bedside Pre-Discharge Poster, Asia
This poster describes potential danger signs or complications that may be observed in mother or baby within the first few days after giving birth. - PNC Pre-Discharge Checklist Poster, Africa
This poster is a complete checklist for assessment, recommended actions based on potential problems and essential actions for every mother and baby before discharge. - PNC Pre-Discharge Checklist Poster, Asia
This poster is a complete checklist for assessment, recommended actions based on potential problems and essential actions for every mother and baby before discharge. - Community Health Workers Program Job Aids
This guide was intended to be used by community health workers when preparing for household visits, collecting data and reporting, assessing danger signs, and managing cases and routine care. - How to Care for your Baby Exposed to HIV Pamphlet
This pamphlet is designed to help health care providers counsel mothers when their baby is potentially exposed to HIV. It provides information on what to do if baby test positive for HIV or negative, what services are available, how to feed a baby when mother is HIV positive, how to keep baby healthy and other important information for mothers to know. - Taking Care of a Baby at Home After Birth: What Families Need to Do
This flipbook, released in Nov. 2011, contains key messages that pregnant women and their families need in order to plan care of an infant at home right after birth. It focuses on essential actions families can take both to prevent newborn death and illness and to promote healthy newborn development. - Home Visits for the Newborn Child: A Strategy to Improve Survival
This joint statement by the WHO and UNICEF states that implementing home visits as a part of the newborn care strategy is essential to improving child survival. The document provides recommendations, evidence and special condition guidance for health workers when caring for newborns. - Pictorial Job Aid for Neonatal Referral, French
This job aid provides an illustrated checklist for use when assessing mother and baby’s health for referral.
Essential Newborn Care
- Five Key Messages of Essential Newborn Care
This fact sheet describes and illustrates the five essential steps for care of a newborn immediately after birth. - WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist Implementation Guide
This document includes the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist and guidelines on effective implementation of the checklist, as well as recommendations for a continuous cycle of coaching, performance measurement, and data feedback, which collectively lead to improved standards and quality of care.
Possible Severe Bacterial Infections
- Guideline: Managing possible serious bacterial infection in young infants when referral is not feasible
This Guideline provides recommendations on the use of antibiotics for neonates and young infants (0–59 days old) with PSBI in order to reduce young infant mortality rates and is intended for use in resource-limited settings in situations when families do not accept or cannot access referral. - Operationalizing management of sick young infants with possible serious bacterial infection (PSBI) when referral is not feasible in the context of existing maternal, newborn, and child health programmes
These new recommendations for outpatient treatment using simplified antibiotic regimens can increase access to treatment of pneumonia and PSBI in sick young infants when referral is not accepted or not feasible and reduce inequity in access to care. They will enable many young infants with PSBI who will not reach hospital care to receive lifesaving care at primary health care facilities. - Managing Neonatal and Early Childhood Syndromic Sepsis in Resource-Poor Settings
Article highlights the positive effects of implementing a package of interventions for sepsis management in rural Bangladesh. It includes the steps taken to increase the quality of sepsis care for newborns and children under 5. - Management of the sick young infant aged up to 2 months
This resource includes assessment, classification and referral of SYI with PSBI; and outpatient treatment of SYI with local infection or fast breathing (pneumonia) in infants 7-59 days old. Other updates include: a new section on how to reassess, classify and treat SYI with PSBI when referral is not feasible in outpatient health facilities by IMNCI trained health workers; changes in assessment and management of young infants for HIV infection; and identification of infants less than 7 days of who need Kangaroo Care.
Chlorhexidine
- Chlorhexidine Gel (Navi Malam)
This fact sheet describes and illustrates the process of application of chlorhexidine gel to umbilical cord stump.
Helping Babies Breathe
- Helping Babies Breathe 2nd Edition Action Plan
Provides an overview of updates made to each of the HBB 2nd Edition materials – Action Plan, Facilitator Flip Chart, and Provider Guide – that clearly delineates the changes between HBB 1st Edition and HBB 2nd Edition. - Helping Babies Breathe 2nd Edition Reprocessing Neonatal Resuscitation Equipment
This fact sheet is designed for use before and after resuscitation of a baby is necessary. It describes the process of which to follow for preparation, pre-disinfection, disinfection and post-disinfection of necessary resuscitation equipment.
Breastfeeding
- How to Breastfeed your Baby Pamphlet
This pamphlet is designed to help health care providers counsel mothers on what they need to know about breastfeeding, how to feed and position baby, how to prevent problems and other important things to know when breastfeeding.
Management in Hospital Settings
- Monitoring birth preparedness and complication readiness: Tools and indicators for maternal and newborn health
This manual is an initial attempt to establish a standardized set of indicators that could be used across countries and/or programs for monitoring safe motherhood programs based on a birth preparedness and complication readiness approach. - Newborn Care Charts: Management of Sick and Small Newborns in Hospital
These Newborn Care Charts for Management of Sick and Small Newborns in Hospital are designed to be used by doctors and nurses at the district and regional hospital level and provide a ready reference for assessment, classification, and treatment of sick and small newborns as well as an overview of routine care that should be provided to all newborns. - Toolkit for Setting Up Special Newborn Units, Stabilisation Units and Newborn Care Corners
This toolkit provides recommendations in planning and managing Facility Based Care for Newborns at various levels, specifically on setting up Special Care Newborn Units (SCNUs), Stabilisation Units and Newborn Care Corners at different levels of healthcare organisation.
Miscellaneous
- The WHO application of ICD-10 to deaths during the perinatal period: ICD-PM
This document is modeled after The WHO application of ICD-10 to deaths during pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium: ICD-maternal mortality (ICD-MM) Guide, and is intended to be used by those who assist health-care providers and those charged with death certification. - Making Every Baby Count: Audit and Review of Stillbirths and Neonatal Deaths: Highlights from the World Health Organization 2016 Audit Guide
This audit guide provides a six-step cycle of auditing deaths at facility level to help understand the burden of stillbirths and neonatal deaths, to generate information about causes of death and to provide accountability for results and response. - THINK I BIG Behavioral Integration Guidance
The THINK I BIG guidance is a process designed for USAID staff to maximize investments and accelerate impact on maternal and child survival in 25 priority countries through three sections; Focus, Apply, and Track. The guidance helps USAID staff focus on behaviors to achieve more rapid results and make better use of resources. - Working with Individuals, Families, and Communities to Improve Maternal and Newborn Health
An implementation toolkit to increase systematic health promotion for maternal and child health. There are five modules, which cover various areas such as implementation at multiple levels, conducting workshops, performing community assessments, training guide for facilitators, and finalizing a monitoring and evaluation plan.
Logistics & Pharma
Documents contained in this section detail specific needs of mothers and newborns in emergency settings, necessary medical supplies, provider skills and services medical facilities should provide. Documents also provide guidance, information about policies and how to restock medical supplies and kits.
- Manual: Inter-Agency Reproductive Health Kits for Crisis Situations: 5th Edition
The essential drugs, equipment and supplies needed to provide reproductive health care in crises have been assembled into a set of specially designed pre-packaged kits – The Inter-Agency Reproductive Health Kits. The objectives of the kits are in line with those laid out in the Inter-agency
Field Manual on Reproductive Health in Humanitarian Settings. - UNHCR’s Essential Medicines and Medical Guidelines: Policy and Guidance 2013
The 2013 Essential Medicines and Medical Supplies Policy and Guidance is an update of the earlier version of 2011 incorporating recent policy changes. This policy and guidance tool is designed for all UNHCR staff, notably programme officers, supply officers and Public Health Officers as well as UNHCR’s health partners. The Essential Medicines and Medical Supplies Policy and Guidance will remain valid until 2020. - Sources and Prices of Selected Medicines for Children, 2nd Edition
Following the joint UNICEF/WHO collaboration on improving access to age appropriate essential medicines for children, this publication launched in its second edition to provide up-to-date information on the sources of selected child-specific medicines and nutrition products, as well as their indicative prices. This report emphasizes sources and prices for essential medicines including therapeutic food, and dietary vitamin and mineral supplementation. - UNICEF Midwifery Kit
The Midwifery Kit has been designed to improve maternal and neonatal care in situations of development and emergency. It is based on WHO/UNICEF policies such as: Integrated Management of Pregnancy and Childbirth; Mother-Baby Package; Implementing Safe Motherhood in Countries; Programming for Maternal Survival, and the Emergency Relief Items. - WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for Children, 6th List
The WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines has been updated every two years since 1977. - WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, 20th List
The WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines has been updated every two years since 1977. - WHO Interagency Emergency Health Kit 2011
The Interagency Emergency Health Kit, now in its fourth edition, explains how to use standardized packages of essential medicines, supplies and equipment in such circumstances. The fourth edition, the Interagency Emergency Health Kit 2011 (IEHK 2011), improves the kit content and takes into account the need for mental health care in emergency settings and the special needs of children.
Training
This section includes training on appropriate newborn care for health professionals in health facilities and antenatal home visitation. All trainings and courses can be tailored to emergency settings.
- Baby Friendly Hospital Training Initiative Revised, Updated and Expanded for Integrated Care
The Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global effort launched by WHO and UNICEF to implement practices that protect, promote and support breastfeeding. The materials reflect new research and experience, reinforce the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, support mothers who are not breastfeeding, provide modules on HIV and infant feeding and mother-friendly care, and give more guidance for monitoring and reassessment. - Caring for newborns and children in the community
These training materials provide guidance for community health workers to conduct home visits in the antenatal period and the first weeks after the baby is born. - Essential Steps for Improving Newborn Survival eLearning course
This 150-minute course gives and introduction to newborn mortality worldwide, early interventions for maternal and newborn health, and routine essential newborn care for every baby at birth. - Global Health Media Project – Newborn Care Series
This series features videos that bring to life newborn care guidelines in a memorable and engaging way. The series covers newborn skills, newborn problems, and special care (including referrals and home visits). - WHO Essential Newborn Care
This course aims to ensure health workers have the skills and knowledge to provide appropriate care at the most vulnerable period in a baby’s life.
Technical Guidance
The documents, guidelines, tools, and modules contained in this section help guide health care professionals in implementing appropriate health care services to cater to the specific needs of mothers and newborns across all facility settings.
Click to expand each section.
Helping Babies Breathe
- Helping Babies Breathe 2nd Edition Action Plan
Provides an overview of updates made to each of the HBB 2nd Edition materials – Action Plan, Facilitator Flip Chart, and Provider Guide – that clearly delineates the changes between HBB 1st Edition and HBB 2nd Edition. - Helping Babies Breathe 2nd Edition Bag and Mask Ventilation – Skill Check
Provides an overview of updates made to each of the HBB 2nd Edition materials – Action Plan, Facilitator Flip Chart, and Provider Guide – that clearly delineates the changes between HBB 1st Edition and HBB 2nd Edition. - Helping Babies Breathe 2nd Edition Facilitator Flip Chart
Provides an overview of updates made to each of the HBB 2nd Edition materials – Action Plan, Facilitator Flip Chart, and Provider Guide – that clearly delineates the changes between HBB 1st Edition and HBB 2nd Edition. - Helping Babies Breathe 2nd Edition Knowledge Check
Provides an overview of updates made to each of the HBB 2nd Edition materials – Action Plan, Facilitator Flip Chart, and Provider Guide – that clearly delineates the changes between HBB 1st Edition and HBB 2nd Edition. - Helping Babies Breathe 2nd Edition OSCE Evaluation
Provides an overview of updates made to each of the HBB 2nd Edition materials – Action Plan, Facilitator Flip Chart, and Provider Guide – that clearly delineates the changes between HBB 1st Edition and HBB 2nd Edition. - Helping Babies Breathe 2nd Edition Update Guide
Provides an overview of updates made to each of the HBB 2nd Edition materials – Action Plan, Facilitator Flip Chart, and Provider Guide – that clearly delineates the changes between HBB 1st Edition and HBB 2nd Edition. - Helping Babies Breathe 2nd Edition Provider Guide
Provides an overview of updates made to each of the HBB 2nd Edition materials – Action Plan, Facilitator Flip Chart, and Provider Guide – that clearly delineates the changes between HBB 1st Edition and HBB 2nd Edition. - Helping Babies Breathe 2nd Edition Reprocessing Neonatal Resuscitation Equipment
This factsheet is designed for use before and after resuscitation of a baby is necessary. It describes the process of which to follow for preparation, pre-disinfection, disinfection and post-disinfection of necessary resuscitation equipment.
Essential Care for Small Babies
- Essential Care for Small Babies Action Plan
Essential Care for Small Babies (ECSB) teaches the special care needed for small or premature babies born in low resource areas – so birth attendants and mothers learn how to keep them warm by skin-to-skin wrapping and so they can keep them nourished with alternative feeding methods. - Essential Care for Small Babies Facilitator Flip Chart
Essential Care for Small Babies (ECSB) teaches the special care needed for small or premature babies born in low resource areas – so birth attendants and mothers learn how to keep them warm by skin-to-skin wrapping and so they can keep them nourished with alternative feeding methods. - Essential Care for Small Babies Parent Guide (Africa)
Essential Care for Small Babies (ECSB) teaches the special care needed for small or premature babies born in low resource areas – so birth attendants and mothers learn how to keep them warm by skin-to-skin wrapping and so they can keep them nourished with alternative feeding methods. - Essential Care for Small Babies Parent Guide (Asia)
Essential Care for Small Babies (ECSB) teaches the special care needed for small or premature babies born in low resource areas – so birth attendants and mothers learn how to keep them warm by skin-to-skin wrapping and so they can keep them nourished with alternative feeding methods. - Essential Care for Small Babies Provider Guide
Essential Care for Small Babies (ECSB) teaches the special care needed for small or premature babies born in low resource areas – so birth attendants and mothers learn how to keep them warm by skin-to-skin wrapping and so they can keep them nourished with alternative feeding methods.
WHO Recommendations
- WHO Guideline- Managing possible serious bacterial infection in young infants when referral is not feasible
This Guideline provides recommendations on the use of antibiotics for neonates and young infants (0–59 days old) with PSBI in order to reduce young infant mortality rates and is intended for use in resource-limited settings in situations when families do not accept or cannot access referral. - WHO recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience
This comprehensive guideline is about routine antenatal care for pregnant women and adolescent girls, and was designed to complement existing WHO guidelines on the management of specific pregnancy-related complications. These recommendations are intended to inform the development of relevant health-care policies and clinical protocols. - WHO recommendations on interventions to improve preterm birth outcomes
This guide provides evidence-based recommendations for interventions during pregnancy, labor and during the newborn period that are aimed at improving outcomes for preterm infants. The guide is intended to be used by health-care professionals responsible for developing national and local health-care protocols and policies, as well as managers of maternal and child health programs and public health policy-makers in all settings. The guide is also useful to health care professionals providing care to pregnant women and preterm infants. - WHO recommendations of newborn health – guidelines approved by the WHO guidelines review committee
This Guideline provides recommendations on the use of antibiotics for neonates and young infants (0–59 days old) with PSBI in order to reduce young infant mortality rates and is intended for use in resource-limited settings in situations when families do not accept or cannot access referral. - WHO recommendations of postnatal care of the mother and newborn 2013
The days and weeks following childbirth – the postnatal period – is a critical phase in the lives of mothers and newborn babies. Most maternal and infant deaths occur during this time. Yet, this is the most neglected period for the provision of quality care. This guide updates the previous guidance from WHO on Postpartum Care. - Optimal Feeding of Low-Birthweight Infants in Low-and Middle-Income Countries: Highlights from the World Health Organization 2011 Guidelines
This brief presents updated WHO recommendations and highlights changes and best practices for optimal feeding of low birth weight (LBW) infants. It is intended to assist policymakers, program managers, educators and health care providers who care for LBW infants to improve quality of care and reduce LBW infant mortality. - Guide to implementation – A Guide to the Implementation of the WHO Multimodal Hand Hygiene Improvement Strategy
This Guide to Implementation has been developed to assist health-care facilities to implement improvements in hand hygiene in accordance with the WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care. The ultimate goal is to reduce both the spread of infection and multi-resistant germs as well as the numbers of patients acquiring a preventable health care-associated infection, and thus to prevent waste of resources and save lives. - Newborn Health Guidelines approved by the WHO Guidelines Review Committee: 2009-12
This guide documents recommendations for actions required to care for a newborn immediately after birth, during resuscitation and ventilation, immunization, postnatal care, management of low birth weight babies, neonatal sepsis, seizures, jaundice, enterocolitis, and in the case of HIV exposure. - Health Cluster Guide – A practical guide for country-level implementation of the health cluster
This guide explains the role of a health cluster at national and, where needed, sub national levels, and suggests the principal actions that need to be taken during different phases of response. It also outlines what needs to be done to establish and sustain an effective cluster and provides guidance in relation to specific functions.
Complementary Guidance
- Inter-Agency Field Manual on Reproductive Health in Humanitarian Settings 2018 Edition
- Inter-Agency Field Manual on Reproductive Health in Humanitarian Settings 2010 Revision for Field Review
- Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP)
The Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) is a series of crucial actions required to respond to reproductive health needs at the onset of every humanitarian crisis. The MISP is not just kits of equipment and supplies; it is a set of activities that must be implemented in a coordinated manner by appropriately trained staff. - Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for Reproductive Health Overview
This overview explains and illustrates the 5 objectives of the MISP, application to the overall goal, which services to make available during crisis and post-crisis, which kits to use and when, and how to order kits and supportive information. - Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for Reproductive Health in Crisis Situations: A Distance Learning Module
These operational guidelines provide practical orientation for UNHCR and partner staff in the field on improving newborn health in refugee operations. The document provides background information and definitions, covers specific points of good practice to consider when planning maternal and newborn health programming, and offers advice on common challenges faced in many areas where UNHCR and its partners work.
Kangaroo Mother Care
- Kangaroo Mother Care – A Practical Guide
This guide details the kangaroo mother care method of care for stable, preterm and low birth weight infants who need thermal protection, adequate feeding, frequent observation and protection from infection. The document provides guidance on how to organize services at the referral hospital and what is needed to introduce and carry out KMC in resource-limited settings. This document is intended for health professionals and can be used to develop national and local policies, guidelines and protocols. - Facilitators Guide for Training on Kangaroo Mother Care
The workshop intends to equip participants with knowledge and skill to manage Low Birth Weight/preterm baby and provide essential newborn care, train health workers, plan and implement KMC at scale, monitor and analyze data related to ENC, LBW/preterm and KMC, and follow-up at home while caring for the LBW/preterm infants.
Essential Newborn Care
- Early Essential Newborn Care – Clinical Practice Pocket Guide
This pocket guide provides health workers with WHO-recommended steps to care for mothers during labour and delivery and for newborn infants after birth. It focuses on effective, low-cost recommendations that can be easily implemented even at the community level. - Pregnancy, Childbirth, Postpartum and Newborn Care: A guide for essential practice 3rd Edition
This clinical decision-making guide facilitates the collection, analysis, classification and use of relevant information by suggesting key questions, essential observations and/or examinations, and recommending appropriate research-based interventions. It promotes the early detection of complications and the initiation of early and appropriate treatment, including timely referral, if necessary. - Advanced Neonatal Care: Clinical & Therapeutic Guideline
This guideline provides a case management (CM) approach to caring for sick neonates through ante-natal care and obstetrical emergencies per natal resuscitation, mother to child transmitted diseases, main neonatal diseases, and how to care for Low Birth Weight, Very Low Birth Weight and Extremely Low Birth Weight babies. - Essential Neonatal Care: Clinical & Therapeutic Guideline
This brief guide provides a clinical and therapeutic assistance for essential neonatal care. It is meant to be used in all MSF programs where there are newborns: mobile clinics, outpatient (OPD), hospitalizations (IPD), obstetrics etc … whatever the technical skills of medical and paramedical personnel in charge. - Household-to-Hospital Continuum of Maternal and Newborn Care
This document summarizes an integrated approach to community and facility-based maternal and newborn programming and implementation called the Household-to-Hospital-Continuum of Care (HHCC). - Guideline for the Screening and Treatment of Retinopathy of Prematurity
This evidence-based guideline was developed for the screening and treatment of retinopathy of prematurity and provides 25 evidence-based recommendations and 21 good practice points. Recommendations are graded A-D using SIGN grading hierarchy, according to the strength of the evidence underpinning them. - Pocket Book of Hospital Care for Children
This guide is intended to be used by doctors, senior nurses and other senior health workers responsible for the care of young children at the first referral level in developing countries. These guidelines focus on the inpatient management of the major causes of childhood mortality, such as pneumonia, diarrhea, severe malnutrition, malaria, meningitis, measles and related conditions as well as management of HIV infection and surgical management. This guide is part of a series of documents and tools that support the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI). - Priority life-saving medicines for women and children 2012
This list of priority life-saving medicines for women and children were chosen according to the global burden of disease and the evidence of efficacy and safety for preventing or treating major causes of sexual and reproductive, maternal, newborn and child mortality and morbidity. - Priority life-saving medicines for women and children 2012
These standards consist of a set of user-friendly leaflets that present the WHO’s key recommendations on the delivery of maternal and neonatal care in health facilities, starting from the first level of care and can serve as a useful tool for facilitating a systematic approach to evaluate and improve the care provided by maternal and neonatal health services. - Family Participation in the Care of the Inpatient Newborn
Technical brief that highlights the importance of family engagement in the development of newborn health. Provides the current evidence-based practice, case studies, and recommendations to increase family collaboration. - Roadmap to Accelerate Progress for Every Newborn in Humanitarian Settings
Roadmap calling to accelerate newborn and maternal health programs. It sets out guidelines as to how stakeholders can make improvements in humanitarian settings. - Newborn Health in Humanitarian Settings Field Guide – Arabic, English, French, Spanish
Provides guidance, tools, and strategies to improve newborn health in humanitarian settings. It can be used for advocacy and programming to ensure provision of newborn services.
Newborn Resuscitation
- Basic Newborn Resuscitation: Highlights from the World Health Organization 2012 Guidelines
This brief complements the WHO guidelines, and highlights key changes and best practices for newborn resuscitation in resource-limited settings. Successful implementation of these recommendations at the time of birth is intended to improve the quality of care for newborns, and contribute to better health outcomes and reduce preventable newborn deaths and disabilities due to birth asphyxia. - Guidelines on Basic Newborn Resuscitation
This document is to provide an update to the WHO’s basic newborn resuscitation: a practical guide and to ensure that newborns in resource-limited settings who require resuscitation are effectively resuscitated. These guidelines inform WHO training and reference materials, and assist programs to develop or adapt national or local guidelines, standards and training materials on newborn care.
Cord Clamping
- Delayed Clamping of the Umbilical Cord to Reduce Infant Anaemia
This brief describes the benefits of delayed cord clamping, barriers and concerns contributing to why it is not currently being used everywhere, and why it should become a best practice by maternal health, newborn health, HIV and nutrition professionals. - Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping for Improved Maternal and Infant Health and Nutrition Outcomes
Recommendations and guidelines from the WHO to delay umbilical cord clamping in order to decrease maternal and newborn mortality and complications. Provides long term and short term benefits of delayed clamping and provides evidence of the practice.
Infection Prevention
- Guidelines on Core Components of Infection Prevention and Control Programmes at the National and Acute Health Care Facility Level
These guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations about the eight core components of infection prevention and control programs, and to support countries and health care facilities to develop or strengthen such programs. - Integrated Management of Childhood Illness – Chart Booklet
This booklet is intended to house information for providers about how to accurately diagnose and treat specific illnesses in children from birth to 5 years. The booklet also provides information about testing and interpreting results and how to integrate treatment into home care.
Feeding Guidance
- Guideline: Updates on HIV and Infant Feeding
This guideline aims to improve the HIV-free survival of HIV-exposed infants by providing guidance on appropriate infant feeding practices and use of antiretroviral drugs for mothers living with HIV and by updating WHO-related tools and training materials. - Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies: Operational Guidance for Emergency Relief Staff and Programme Managers
This guidance was developed with the intention of providing concise, practical guidance on how to ensure appropriate infant and young child feeding in emergencies by implementing six practical steps. Intended for use by policy-makers, decision-makers, and programmers working in emergency preparedness and response. - HIV and Infant Feeding in Emergencies
Operational guidance sets out actions that governments, program managers, and stakeholders should take to integrate infant feeding from HIV mothers into emergency programming. - Protecting, Promoting, and Supporting Breastfeeding in Facilities Providing Maternal and Newborn Services
An implementation guidance for governments and program managers to support and promote breastfeeding, which promotes newborn health and wellbeing. It also highlights how to care for newborns who are not breastfed.
Emergencies Guidance
- IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings
The primary purpose of these guidelines is to enable humanitarian actors and communities to plan, establish and coordinate a set of minimum multi-sectoral responses to protect and improve people’s mental health and psychosocial well-being in the midst of an emergency. - IASC Reference Module for Cluster Coordination at Country Level
This reference module details outlines the basic elements of cluster coordination and intends to serve as a reference guide for field practitioners to help facilitate their work and improve humanitarian outcomes. - Newborn Care Supply Kits for Humanitarian Settings Manual: DRAFT
The Inter-agency Field Manual on Sexual and Reproductive Health in Humanitarian Settings (IAFM), originally published in 1999 and revised in 2010 and 2018, is the primary guidance document outlining sexual and reproductive health service provision, including maternal and newborn health, in a crisis response. - UNHCR’s Principles and Guidance for Referral Health Care for Refugees and Other Persons of Concern
This document was developed to provide the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) staff and implementing partners (IPs) with updated, specific and practical principles and guidance on how to plan and implement a country level health referral scheme for refugees, asylum seekers and other persons of concern (PoCs). - A Blended Approach for Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care Training in Ethiopia
A technical brief that examines the effectiveness of a blended training approach for BEmONC versus the standard approach. It gives recommendations for BEmONC training programs and its implementation.
Supplementary Materials
This section includes training on appropriate newborn care for health professionals in health facilities and antenatal home visitation. All trainings and courses can be tailored to emergency settings.
- Integrated Community Case Management in Emergencies Guide
Guide for emergency responders to support iCCM implementation to give children and newborns access to curative services when facilities cannot be accessed easily. - Innovative Pathways to Build Providers’ Skills in Humanitarian Settings
Technical brief on provider training for FP and PAC services in conflict settings. Provides the various steps in training and highlights the individuality of the training process to build capacity. - Mortality in Rohingya Refugee Camps in Bangladesh: Historical, Social, and Political Context
The article explains the historical, social, and political context of maternal mortality among the Rohingya. It also explains the barriers that women face in receiving care, such as accessing BEmONC services. - Reproductive Health Assessment Toolkit for Conflict-Affected Women
Provides evaluation, lessons learned, and recommendations for the RH toolkit developed in 2007. The toolkit is essential for not only combating complications of SGBV in conflict settings, but it can address unplanned or poorly spaced pregnancies and safe motherhood. - The 2018 Inter-Agency Field Manual on Reproductive Health in Humanitarian Settings (IAFM) is the result of a collaborative and consultative process engaging hundreds of representatives from United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations that make up the Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crises (IAWG). Based on guidelines issued by normative bodies, particularly those of the World Health Organization, the 2018 IAFM incorporates specific evidence from, or examples about, the application and adaptation of global SRH or human rights standards in humanitarian settings.