TIME TO RECOVERY AND ITS PREDICTORS AMONG NEONATES ADMITTED WITH DIAGNOSIS OF RESPIRATORY DISTRESS IN NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT OF SELECTED PUBLIC HOSPITALS IN NORTHSHOA,ETHIOPIA, 2024: A RETROSPECTIVE COHORTSTUDY.

Background:Neonatal Respiratory distress is a major cause of Neonatal Morbidity and Mortality, particularly in Developing Countries. Time to recovery is an indicator of the severity of respiratory distress and risk factors are wide-ranging significantly according to study population and settings.However,North Shoa still lacks appropriate data on time to recovery from respiratory distress. Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the Time to recovery and its predictors among Neonates admitted with Respiratory Distress in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at North Shoa Zone Selected public Hospitals 2024. Method: An institution-based retrospective cohort study design was conducted among 702 Neonates with respiratory distress. A structured and pre-tested check list was used for data collection. The median time to recovery, Kaplan Meier curve, and adjusted survival curve were computed. Both bi-variable and multi-variable Cox regression models were applied to analyze the data. P-value of 0.25 was used to transfer from bi to multi-variable analysis. P-value of < 0.05 consider as significant Results: Of all respiratory distress neonates, 433 were successfully recovered. They were followed for a total of 4,498- Neonate day’s observation and the median time to recovery was 8 days (IQR=5–11 days). After adjusting for covariates,Antibiotics (AHR=1.8,95%CI:0.5,6.5),Direct Oxygen (AHR = 2.3, 95% CI: 1.31, 5.73), PROM (AHR=1.32,95%CI:1.07,1.62),PNA(AHR=2.56,95%CI:1.27,5.12),Hypoglycemia(AH R = 0.28, 95%CI: 0.13, 0.59), and C/S (AHR = 2.31, 95%CI: 1.53, 3.48) were independently associated with the time to recovery . Conclusion: The study's results were moderately comparable to earlier findings. Identifying key factors can help detect neonates at risk of prolonged respiratory distress, guiding timely referrals in primary health sectors and providing prognostic insights for clinicians and families.