Objective: To characterize near miss neonatal morbidity in tertiary hospitals in a
capital city of Northeast Brazil based on Health Information Systems, and to
identify differences regarding indicators of near miss cases, allowing the
surveillance of newborns with risk of death.Methods: A cross-sectional study carried out in hospitals with neonatal intensive
care unit, whose neonatal near miss cases in 2012 were identified from a
deterministic linkage between the Mortality Information System and the Live
Birth Information System. The biological variables of children, variables
related to maternal characteristics and indicators of near miss were
calculated by type of service and hospital. Biological variables of
children, variables related to maternal characteristics and near miss
indicators were calculated by service type and hospital and then compared by
ratio difference test, parametric and non-parametric tests for measures of
central tendency.Results: Of 24,254 live births, 2,098 cases of neonatal morbidity near
miss were identified, most of them concentrated in the public
hospitals (89.9%). The combination of birth weight and gestational age had
the largest number of cases in both segments, public (43.5%) and private
(46%). Variations in neonatal near miss indicators were observed between
hospitals, which suggests assistance problems.Conclusions: The concept of neonatal near miss, its applicability with data from Health
Information Systems, and its indicators are a preliminary tool to monitor
hospital care for newborns by signaling health services that require
in-depth evaluation and investments for quality improvement.