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The purpose of this paper is to report the assessment results of the quality of neonatal care services in Armenia and to describe the identified obstacles to improving the quality of care for newborn infants.

The study carried out a cross-sectional descriptive design. The data were collected in health facilities with different levels of neonatal care that were selected employing a multi-stage, stratified purposeful sampling design. The quality of neonatal services was assessed using the generic WHO tool. Data collection was performed using face-to-face semi-structured interviews, hospital statistics, medical records and direct observations.

In 31 study hospitals, 31,976 deliveries were performed resulting in 31,701 live births and 734 stillbirths. About 85 percent of all neonatal deaths was attributable to early neonatal deaths with over 48 percent occurring during the first 24 h of life. The proportion of neonatal deaths was highest in infants with low birth weight constituting 92.8 percent of all neonatal deaths. The total neonatal mortality rate was 3.50 per 1,000 live births, whereas stillbirth rate and perinatal mortality rate were 22.60 and 25.26 per 1,000 total births in 2015. Specific indicators with relatively lower mean scores included neonatal resuscitation, early breastfeeding, monitoring of newborn conditions, neonatal sepsis, feeding standards, total parenteral nutrition, and infection treatment.

Given the limited scope of research on quality assessment, this paper provides valuable information on the status of quality of neonatal care services in Armenian health facilities. This work also extends the existing studies focused on quality assessment through applying the model of Avedis Donabedian with the structure–process–outcomes approach as a theoretical basis.

The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a study that investigated the barriers and facilitators associated with the adoption of a hazard analysis critical control point based food safety management system (HACCP FSMS) in dairy processing companies of Armenia.

A cross-sectional qualitative research design was employed to examine managerial experience and perceptions of barriers and drivers to organizational adoption of HACCP FSMS procedures. The data were collected in 20 food processing facilities in the dairy industry through individual in-depth interviews with their representatives and in governmental and non-governmental organizations through focus group discussions with 23 policy makers and food safety consultants. Diffusion of innovations theory provided a framework for systematic exploration of the phenomenon under study.

Most frequently reported drivers of adoption included enhanced traceability, increased export opportunities, improved organizational image, and broader accountability. Major impeding factors, such as high investment costs, value incompatibility, excessive documentation, inadequate physical and technological infrastructures, and low observability led to less favorable attitudes toward the organizational change needed for HACCP FSMS adoption. The results indicate that larger organizations with well-developed infrastructures and skilled workforce have an advantage over smaller organizations in the process of adoption.

This study provides a comprehensive theory-based analysis of perceived determinants of organization-wide adoption of HACCP-based system in Armenia. The results of the study support and extend the findings of earlier research and provide new insights into HACCP FSMS adoption across different contexts.