The Policy Analysis of Reducing Neonatal Mortality in Iran

Publishing study protocols have been recently growing due to their substantial benefits. Such advantages include increasing the research transparency, reducing the selective reporting of outcomes, and preventing the unnecessary duplications of research. This paper explained the rationale and methods of a policy analysis study on newborn mortality in Iran. The study objectives are identifying the risk factors of neonatal mortality in Iran, identifying the experiences of successful countries in this area, analyzing the policies of reducing neonatal mortality in Iran, analyzing the policies of reducing neonatal mortality in the high-burden provinces of neonatal mortality in Iran.  This study consists of four steps; each corresponds to one aim of the study. The steps are as follows: a systematic review of the risk factors of neonatal mortality in Iran, a comparative study of policymaking to reduce neonatal mortality in successful countries, the analysis of policies of reducing neonatal mortality in Iran using policy models, and developing policy options for reducing the neonatal mortality in the high-burden provinces.  This study is designed for analyzing the policies of reducing neonatal mortality in Iran. The results may provide recommendations for the provinces with high rates of neonatal mortality. The study will identify the advantages, disadvantages, and defects of the existing policies. As a result, we would be able to develop proper plans to further reduce neonatal mortality. Moreover, the findings and methods of this study can help other countries, especially the developing ones, in reducing their neonatal mortality. The data could also be beneficial in other healthcare areas, including under-five mortality and maternal mortality.