Antenatal hospitalisations in New South Wales, 1995-96

To provide a population-based estimate of the prevalence of antenatal hospitalisations and to determine the reasons for admission.

Descriptive study. Data sources were primarily the New South Wales inpatient Statistics Collection (ISC) and also the linked population-based New South Wales Midwives Data Collection.

All women resident in New South Wales (NSW) admitted to public and private hospitals in NSW for pregnancy complications from 1 July 1995 to 30 June 1996.

Antenatal hospitalisations for pregnancy complications per 100 confinements.

There were a total of 25,710 antenatal non-delivery admissions in NSW hospitals among 86,263 confinements, yielding a ratio of 30 antenatal admissions per 100 confinements (21 per 100 excluding day-stay admissions). Women without private health insurance, Aboriginal women and women under the age of 20 had significantly higher rates of antenatal admissions. The principal admitting diagnoses were hypertension (17.6%), threatened preterm labour (14.1%), antepartum haemorrhage (14.0%), threatened labour (after 37 weeks' gestation) (11.1%) and excessive vomiting in pregnancy (9.4%). A majority (58%) of antenatal admissions (including admissions to day-stay facilities) were for one day.

Significant pregnancy-related morbidity, as measured by high ratios of antenatal admissions, is evident in NSW. Sociodemographic factors and health service management protocols appear to account for some of the variability in antenatal admissions.