Identification of populations at risk: Stillbirth toolkit for health care providers

Maternity care and women's health are measured, in part, by the stillbirth rate of a country. The purposes of this pilot project were to: a) establish a baseline of health care provider knowledge regarding stillbirth risk factors based on geographic distribution (urban/rural) and provider licensure (MD, APRN, PA, CNM) and b) evaluate the utility of a Stillbirth Risk Factor Toolkit and its effects on provider knowledge.

Evaluative research using a retrospective pre-posttest survey design was completed. The study setting included primary care clinics (urban [n=25] and rural [n=25]) in Nebraska. Health care providers from N=50 clinics were surveyed about their knowledge of stillbirth risk factors (modifiable and non-modifiable) before and after reading the Toolkit.

Providers were least knowledgeable regarding the definition of stillbirth and the number of weeks' gestation that constitute a stillbirth. Overall, there was no significant difference in baseline knowledge between rural and urban providers. Nearly half (43.8%) found the Toolkit to be very helpful and applicable to their patient population, and 34.8% said they would be very likely to utilize it with their patients. There was a statistically significant increase in knowledge of stillbirth risk factors among all health care providers after reviewing the Toolkit (p<0.001).

Health providers had varied baseline knowledge about stillbirth. The Toolkit improved provider knowledge, but further research is needed to assess its impact on clinical practice.