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World J Clin Pediatr. Dec 9, 2026; 15(4): 117203
Published online Dec 9, 2026. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.117203
Published online Dec 9, 2026. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.117203
Comparison of six neonatal mortality prediction scores: A prospective observational study
Shaimaa Mohamed Mahmoud, Montaser Mohamed Mohamed, Rehab Zein Elabdeen Abdelfatah, Elsayed Abdelkreem, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Nasser City 82524, Sohag, Egypt
Elsayed Abdelkreem, Department of Clinical Sciences, Al-Rayan National College of Medicine, Al-Rayan National Colleges, Al Madinah Al Munawwarah 41411, Saudi Arabia
Author contributions: Mahmoud SM, Mohamed MM, and Abdelfatah RZE contributed to edit the manuscript; Mahmoud SM, Mohamed MM, Abdelfatah RZE, and Abdelkreem E contributed to methodology; Mahmoud SM, Abdelfatah RZE, and Abdelkreem E contributed to data analysis and interpretation; Mohamed MM and Abdelkreem E shared in study design; Abdelfatah RZE contributed to investigation; Abdelkreem E wrote the manuscript draft. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University (approval No. Soh-Med-23-03-10MS; dated March 08, 2023).
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Corresponding author: Elsayed Abdelkreem, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Consultant, DHPE, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag University Street, Nasser City 82524, Sohag, Egypt. d.elsayedmohammed@med.sohag.edu.eg
Received: December 1, 2025
Revised: December 27, 2025
Accepted: March 13, 2026
Published online: December 9, 2026
Processing time: 292 Days and 4.2 Hours
Revised: December 27, 2025
Accepted: March 13, 2026
Published online: December 9, 2026
Processing time: 292 Days and 4.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This study provides the first head-to-head comparison of six neonatal mortality prediction scores applied within the same neonatal intensive care unit population in a resource-limited, high-mortality setting. All models demonstrated good-to-excellent discriminatory performance. Importantly, simple bedside scores, such as the Modified Sick Neonatal Score and sensorium, temperature, oxygenation, perfusion, skin color, and blood sugar score performed comparably to more complex physiology-based tools. These findings highlight the value of feasible, rapid, and non-invasive scoring systems for early risk stratification and clinical decision-making in neonatal intensive care units in low- and middle-income settings.