Maternal and neonatal mortality in Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kenya

This thesis by publication contains an introduction; a chapter providing an overview of maternal and neonatal mortality including burden of disease, causes of and risk factors for mortality, and a conceptual framework for the thesis; a methods chapter; four papers and a conclusion chapter. The four papers focus on findings on maternal and neonatal mortality at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Kenya from 2004-2011. The papers are based on data collected from the maternity ward records at this hospital. Chapter Four presents the first of the journal articles (Paper One) which describes incidence and characteristics associated with maternal and neonatal mortality at MTRH. Paper Two presents a case-control study to examine risk factors associated with maternal mortality. A case-control study examining factors associated with fetal and early neonatal mortality at MTRH is provided in Paper Three. The final paper examines record completeness at MTRH and factors associated with missing data. The final chapter (Chapter 8) provides an overall conclusion to the work, discussing the directions for future research, study strengths and limitations. The appendices contain the publications, statements of contribution of authorship, study questionnaire, ethics approval, and a letter from MTRH.