Study design
The study was a prospective cohort study, and part of a pre-post interven­tion trial, the Newborn Emergency Outcome Study, with the aim of reducing neonatal mortality (clinicaltrial.gov NCT040937778, Zanzibar Health Research Institute: NO.ZAHREC/2 August 2019/30). The study was conducted at four district hospitals in Pemba, Tanzania, for 11 weeks from September to November 2019. The STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) checklist was applied for the reporting of the current study.