Making every birth count: Outcomes of a perinatal mortality audit program.

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Public Health
• Perinatal Medicine

Background:

• Stillbirth rates in Australia have stagnated for 20 years.
• Effective perinatal mortality audit implementation is often suboptimal.
• Systematic review is crucial for stillbirth prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the proportion of perinatal deaths in Queensland associated with modifiable care-related factors.
• To identify specific areas for improvement in perinatal care pathways.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective audit of perinatal deaths (≥34 weeks gestation) in Queensland (2018).
• Data sourced from Queensland Perinatal Data Collection.
• Multidisciplinary panel utilized Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ) guidelines for classification.

Main Results:

• 65 deaths audited (56 stillbirths, 9 neonatal deaths).
• Contributing factors identified in 71% of deaths; 20 deaths had significant care-related factors.
• Key areas for improvement identified in antenatal care for women with stillbirth risk factors.

Conclusions:

• A significant proportion of late-term perinatal deaths involve contributing care factors.
• Enhancing antenatal care for high-risk pregnancies is a critical priority.
• Systematic perinatal mortality audits using PSANZ guidelines improve prevention and reporting.