Redesigning antenatal care: Prospective use of an implementation framework to establish a population-based...

Australian rates of adverse obstetric outcomes have improved little despite guidelines recommending history-based screening and intervention. The first trimester provides a unique opportunity to predict and prevent complications, yet population-based screening has failed to be translated into broad clinical practice.

This study aimed to redesign antenatal care within an Australian public healthcare centre to align with evidence-based maternity care, including population-based first-trimester screening with early initiation of preventative strategies in high-risk pregnancies.

A five-phase action-process model, sharing key elements with implementation science theory, was used to explore barriers to change in antenatal care, co-design a novel service with consumers and establish a population-based antenatal pathway commencing with a multidisciplinary first-trimester screening, assessment and planning visit.

The case for change and associated barriers were defined from the perspective of antenatal care stakeholders. Key needs of each group were established, and solutions were created using co-design methodology, allowing the team to create a novel approach to antenatal care which directly addressed identified barriers. Implementation of the service was associated with a fall in the median gestation at first specialist maternity care provider visit from 20 to 13 weeks.

This study confirms the feasibility of establishing a comprehensive first-trimester screening program within a public Australian healthcare setting and highlights a co-design process which places individualised assessment at the forefront of antenatal care. This framework may be applicable to most public maternity settings in Australia, with expansion aimed at providing equity of care, including in rural and remote settings.