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correspondence

Indian Pediatr 2012;49: 73-74

Reply

Siddartha Gogia and S Ramji

Email: [email protected]


1. It may be pertinent to point out the objective of the systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effect of community based neonatal interventions on neonatal mortality in resource limited settings and not the effect of community health workers on neonatal mortality. We accept the error that the abstract has it wrong (vide the full text of the manuscript for the correct objective).

2. While it is true that overall effect size combining different community level neonatal interventions could have difficulties in interpretation, it may be pointed out that the systematic review also provides a sub group analysis by type of interventions (Fig.3) [1]. It may also be pointed out that health interventions are never “pure” interventions and there are bound to have overlaps with multitude of other interventions in varying proportions. Realizing this complexity, the review used the best possible categorization of the interventions with least possible of overlaps (Table 1 and Figure 2 of the manuscript).

3. We accept that the abstract does not do justice to all the community based neonatal interventions, but the full text does.

We do not believe that the review would confuse policy makers. The review clearly underscores the complexity of neonatal care interventions especially at the community level and provides (as summarized by the authors of this correspondence) the possible strategies, likely impact and the conditions that are required to make these interventions work.

 

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