Maredza et al. Cost Eff Resour Alloc (2016) 14:2 DOI 10.1186/s12962-015-0049-5 REVIEW

Economic evaluations of interventions to reduce neonatal morbidity and mortality: a review of the evidence in LMICs and its implications for South Africa Mandy Maredza1,2, Lumbwe Chola1,2 and Karen Hofman1,2* Background: Newborn mortality, comprising a third of all under-5 deaths, has hardly changed in low and middle income countries (LMICs) including South Africa over the past decade. To attain the MDG 4 target, greater emphasis must be placed on wide-scale implementation of proven, cost-effective interventions. This paper reviews economic evidence on effective neonatal health interventions in LMICs from 2000–2013; documents lessons for South African policy on neonatal health; and identifies gaps and areas for future research. Methods: A narrative review was performed in leading public health databases for full economic evaluations con-ducted between 2000 and 2013. Data extraction from the articles included in the review was guided by the Consoli-dated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) checklist, and the quality of the included economic evaluations was assessed using the Quality of Health Economics Studies Instrument (QHES)