Home Visits by Village Midwives and Neonatal Mortality Rates in Rural Rwanda: A Meta-Analysis

Neonatal mortality rates remain a significant public health concern in rural Rwanda, emphasising the importance of effective interventions. A systematic review and meta-analysis approach was employed to synthesize data from multiple studies conducted in Rwanda, focusing on the effect size of home visit interventions on neonatal mortality outcomes. The analysis revealed a statistically significant reduction (p < 0.05) in neonatal mortality rates by approximately 12% among infants exposed to regular home visits compared to those not receiving such care. Home visits by village midwives appear to have a protective effect on neonatal health outcomes, suggesting their potential role in reducing neonatal mortality rates. Further research should explore the mechanisms underlying this intervention's effectiveness and evaluate its scalability within rural healthcare settings. Neonatal Mortality, Home Visits, Village Midwives, Meta-Analysis Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.