What risks arise from delays in the neonatal transport system?
Delays in the neonatal transfer system can have an impact on mortality. The “three delays” model (Thaddeus and Maine, 1994) describes a conceptual framework for the factors and phases of delay that influence timely access to specialized emergency care. The model makes it possible to analyze delays in the process at each stage of neonatal transfers.
In most cases, neonates are transferred from a primary care center to a referral center, but it can also occur from the community, from a facility or from within the same center.