Newborns, especially those whose mothers don’t have insurance, represent the majority of children’s deaths in hospitals, according to a recent study conducted at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Researchers reviewed data from 1992 to 2002 and found that more than 40 percent of children’s deaths occur while they are hospitalized. Almost 69 percent of these were newborns (perhaps not too surprising since newborns also make up the majority of child hospitalizations).

“As health care providers and institutions expand their efforts to meet the needs of severely ill children and their families, they need to be aware of the higher mortality rates among the youngest children, those without insurance coverage and those who are transferred from one hospital to another,” said study co-author Matthew M. Davis, MD, an associate professor of general pediatrics and internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor. He added, “These children and families may require support services and end-of-life care beyond what is typically available in many hospitals.”