TempWatchDoctoral DissertationCross-Sectional Comparative Study
Impact of TempWatch in Improving the Care of Low Birth Weight Newborns at the Regional Hospital Center (CHR) of Sokodé in 2022 (North Togo)
Year
2025
Location
🇹🇬 Sokodé, Togo
Sample Size
209 LBW newborns (82 with TempWatch, 127 without)
Investigators
BANKOTI Yendoumban
Institutions
Regional Hospital Center (CHR) of Sokodé · Faculty of Health Sciences (FSS), University of Lomé
Background & Methods
Introduction: TempWatch is a key tool in the management of newborns, especially those with low birth weight (LBW), particularly for monitoring hypothermia. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of TempWatch in improving the management of LBW newborns.
Material and methods: This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study with retrospective collection of comparative groups, involving 209 LBW newborns — of which 82 benefited from TempWatch (TempWatch group) and 127 without TempWatch (control group) — in the Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) unit of the Sokodé Regional Hospital Center pediatrics department over a 9-month period. A Chi² test was performed at a significance level of 5%.
Key Results
| Outcome / Metric | BEMPU Group | Control Group | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital neonatal hypothermia rate | 77% (overall cohort) | — | — |
| KMC compliance | Significantly higher | Lower | <0.001 |
| Follow-up after hospital discharge | 65.9% | 29.1% | <0.0001 |
| Weight >2,500 g at 1 month | 55.6% | 35.5% | 0.001 |
| Neonatal lethality rate | 7.3% | 11% | 0.006 |
Key Outcomes — Visual Comparison
Follow-up after hospital discharge
BEMPU
65.9%
Control
29.1%
p = <0.0001
Weight >2,500 g at 1 month
BEMPU
55.6%
Control
35.5%
p = 0.001
Neonatal lethality rate
BEMPU
7.3%
Control
11%
p = 0.006
BEMPU groupControl / comparison
- 1Hospital neonatal hypothermia prevalence was 77%, highlighting the scale of the problem in the region.
- 2Newborns with TempWatch performed significantly more KMC than those without (p<0.001).
- 3Post-discharge follow-up was more than twice as common in the TempWatch group (65.9% vs 29.1%).
- 4More than half of TempWatch babies reached a healthy weight of >2,500 g after one month, compared to only one-third in the control group.
- 5Neonatal lethality was significantly lower in the TempWatch group (7.3% vs 11%, p=0.006).
Why This Matters
This doctoral thesis from Togo provides the first mortality-outcome data from sub-Saharan West Africa specifically comparing TempWatch to standard care in a hospital KMC unit. The 3.7 percentage-point reduction in neonatal lethality and the doubling of post-discharge follow-up rates demonstrate significant real-world impact in a UNICEF-supported deployment context.
How to Cite
BANKOTI Yendoumban. Impact of Tempwatch in improving the care of low birth weight newborns at the Regional Hospital Center (CHR) of Sokodé in 2022 (North Togo). Doctoral Thesis in Medicine, FSS-UL, Lomé, Togo, 2024.
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