The Born 2 Soon study was conducted to understand current practice around the time of preterm birth in a tertiary referral hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. A prospective observational study was undertaken where data on 294 babies who were born prematurely was collected. We wanted to understand how well vital signs (e.g temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate) are recorded, as part of early feasibility work to understand whether an early warning score could, in the future, help make it easier for staff in busy, over-burdened Kenyan hospitals to identify when babies need additional support. An early warning score is a paper document, which uses a simple traffic-light system colour chart, indicating when babies’ vital signs may require attention. In addition, we held interviews and focus groups with parents and health professionals to understand their views about essential newborn care for preterm infants. We also held a large meeting of around 80 people interested in preterm birth, including representatives from the Kenyan Ministry of Health, in July 2019 to discuss whether how this research may be taken forwards. This study was the predecessor to the NEWS-K study.

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