Implementation of the 'Kimberley Mum's Mood Scale' across primary health care services in the Kimberley region of Western Australia: A mixed methods assessment.

The Kimberley Mum's Mood Scale (KMMS) was co-designed with Aboriginal women and healthcare professionals to improve culturally appropriate screening practices for perinatal depression and anxiety. This paper describes the implementation of the KMMS across the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia from January 2018 to December 2021. We used the Dynamic Sustainability Framework to progress the implementation and assess at the intervention, practice setting and ecological system level using a mixed methods approach to analyse implementation. Rates of administration and results of screening were described using a retrospective audit of electronic medical records. Analyses of KMMS training registry, stakeholder engagement and sustainability initiatives were descriptive. KMMS acceptability was assessed using qualitative descriptive approaches to analyse patient feedback forms (n = 39), healthcare professional surveys (n = 15) and qualitative interviews with healthcare professionals (n = 6). We found a significant increase in overall recorded perinatal screening (pre-implementation: 30.4% v Year 3: 46.5%, P < 0.001) and use of the KMMS (pre-implementation: 16.4% v Year 3: 46.4%, P < 0.001). There was improved fidelity in completing the KMMS (from 2.3% to 61.8%, P < 0.001), with 23.6% of women screened recorded as being at increased risk of depression and anxiety. Most healthcare professionals noted the high levels of perinatal mental health concerns, stress, and trauma that their patients experienced, and identified the KMMS as the most appropriate perinatal screening tool. Aboriginal women reported that it was important for clinics to ask about mood and feelings during the perinatal period, and that the KMMS was appropriate. Aboriginal women consistently reported that it was good to have someone to talk to. This study demonstrates that innovation in perinatal depression and anxiety screening for Aboriginal women is possible and can be implemented into routine clinical care with the support of a sustained multi-year investment and strong partnerships.

Aboriginal women's experiences of strengths and challenges of antenatal care in the Kimberley: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: High-quality, culturally safe antenatal care has an important role in improving health outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We sought to describe Aboriginal women's experiences of antenatal care in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, to better understand current systems and opportunities for enhancing antenatal care. METHODS: Throughout the Kimberley, 124 Aboriginal women who had accessed antenatal care in 2015-2018 were recruited. They provided qualitative data during a health assessment or standalone interview. Transcripts were descriptively coded and thematically analysed. FINDINGS: Most women expressed that overall they had a positive antenatal care experience. Key themes were the importance of positive relationships with antenatal care providers, the valuable role of family support during the antenatal period, challenges travelling for care and limitations of the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme, communication of pregnancy related information, and the provision of services. Almost all antenatal care providers described were non-Aboriginal. A few women spoke about involvement of Aboriginal Health Workers in their antenatal care, including recommending expansion of these roles. CONCLUSIONS: The experiences shared by these Aboriginal women in the Kimberley contribute to broader evidence of a need to improve culturally safe antenatal care delivery for Aboriginal Australian women. Although excellent care was provided by a number of dedicated midwives, there were few Aboriginal antenatal staff and significant staff turnover. To improve the quality of care more local Aboriginal antenatal care providers, and additional support for the large number of women and their families required to travel, are required.

Underestimation of risk for large babies in rural and remote Australia: Time to change plasma glucose collection protocols.

AIMS: Preanalytical glycolysis in oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) leads to substantial underestimation of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and hence risk for large-for-gestational-age (LGA) babies. This paper quantified the impact of glycolysis on identification of LGA risk in a prospective rural and remote Australian cohort. METHODS: For 495 women, OGTT results from room temperature fluoride-oxalate (FLOX) tubes were algorithmically corrected for estimated glycolysis compared to 1) the Hyperglycaemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes (HAPO) study protocol (FLOX tubes in ice-slurry); and 2) room temperature fluoride-citrate (FC) tubes. GDM was defined by International Association of the Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG) criteria. Unadjusted and corrected OGTT were related to LGA outcome. RESULTS: Correction for FC tubes increased GDM incidence from 9.7% to 44.6%. After correction for HAPO protocol, GDM incidence was 27.7% and prediction of LGA risk (RR 1.82, [1.11-2.99]) improved compared to unadjusted rates (RR 1.12, [0.51-2.47]). To provide similar results for FC tube correction (29.3% GDM; RR 1.81, [1.11-2.96]) required + 0.2 mmol/L adjustment of IADPSG criteria. CONCLUSIONS: FC tubes present a practical alternative to the HAPO protocol in remote settings but give + 0.2 mmol/L higher glucose readings. Modification of IADPSG criteria would reduce perceived 'overdiagnosis' and improve LGA risk-assessment.

Real-world screening for diabetes in early pregnancy: Improved screening uptake using universal glycated haemoglobin.

AIMS: To improve perinatal outcomes, screening for hyperglycaemia using 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is recommended for all pregnant women at 24-28 weeks gestation (routine), and earlier if high-risk. Screening coverage for remote and Aboriginal Australian women is less than ideal. This study examined OGTT completion (early and routine) by women from rural and remote Western Australia compared with early glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c). METHODS: In 2015-2018, 27 primary health care sites recruited 600 (233 Aboriginal) women aged ≥16-years, without pre-existing diabetes, who delivered >30-weeks gestation. All women presenting <20-weeks gestation (541) were offered an early study HbA1c. Early OGTTs were requested at the discretion of the local clinician, with routine OGTT offered at 24-28 weeks. RESULTS: HbA1c uptake was high (85.7% Aboriginal, 86.4% non-Aboriginal); OGTT completion in Aboriginal women was low (early OGTT: 38.6% v 69.6% non-Aboriginal, P < 0.001; routine OGTT: 44.5% v 84.7% non-Aboriginal, P < 0.001). Aboriginal women with both early tests had HbA1c completed 3-weeks prior to OGTT (9.6 ± 3.5 v 12.5 ± 3.5 weeks gestation, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Universal early pregnancy HbA1c appears feasible as an early screening test for women at risk of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy and would expedite and increase screening in Aboriginal women compared to an early OGTT.

Prediabetes and pregnancy: Early pregnancy HbA1c identifies Australian Aboriginal women with high-risk of gestational diabetes mellitus and adverse perinatal outcomes.

AIMS: To assess whether early pregnancy HbA1c can predict gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and adverse birth outcomes in Australian women. METHODS: Prospective study of 466 women without diabetes, aged ≥16-years at first antenatal presentation. Recruitment was from 27 primary healthcare sites in rural and remote Australia from 9-January 2015 to 31-May 2018. HbA1c was measured with first antenatal investigations (<20-weeks gestation). Primary outcome measure was predictive value of HbA1c for GDM, by routine 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT; ≥24-weeks gestation), and for large-for-gestational-age (LGA) newborn. RESULTS: Of 396 (129 Aboriginal) women with routine OGTT, 28.8% had GDM (24.0% Aboriginal). HbA1c ≥5.6% (≥38 mmol/mol) was highly predictive (71.4%, 95% CI; 47.8-88.7%) for GDM in Aboriginal women, and in the total cohort increased risk for LGA newborn (RR 2.04, 95% CI; 1.03-4.01, P = 0.040). There were clear differences between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women: 16.3% v 5.2% (P < 0.001) had elevated HbA1c whereas 12.4% v 29.6% (P < 0.001) developed hyperglycemia during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Early pregnancy HbA1c ≥5.6% (≥38 mmol/mol) identifies Aboriginal women with apparent prediabetes and elevated risk of having an LGA newborn. Universal HbA1c at first antenatal presentation could facilitate earlier management of hyperglycemia and improved perinatal outcome in this high-risk population.

Real-World Gestational Diabetes Screening: Problems with the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test in Rural and Remote Australia.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the most common antenatal complication in Australia. All pregnant women are recommended for screening by 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). As part of a study to improve screening, 694 women from 27 regional, rural and remote clinics were recruited from 2015-2018 into the Optimisation of Rural Clinical and Haematological Indicators for Diabetes in pregnancy (ORCHID) study. Most routine OGTT samples were analysed more than four hours post fasting collection (median 5.0 h, range 2.3 to 124 h), potentially reducing glucose levels due to glycolysis. In 2019, to assess pre-analytical plasma glucose (PG) instability over time, we evaluated alternative sample handling protocols in a sample of participants. Four extra samples were collected alongside routine room temperature (RT) fluoride-oxalate samples (FLOXRT): study FLOXRT; ice slurry (FLOXICE); RT fluoride-citrate-EDTA (FC Mix), and RT lithium-heparin plasma separation tubes (PST). Time course glucose measurements were then used to estimate glycolysis from ORCHID participants who completed routine OGTT after 24 weeks gestation (n = 501). Adjusting for glycolysis using FLOXICE measurements estimated 62% under-diagnosis of GDM (FLOXRT 10.8% v FLOXICE 28.5% (95% CI, 20.8-29.5%), p < 0.001). FC Mix tubes provided excellent glucose stability but gave slightly higher results (Fasting PG: +0.20 ± 0.05 mmol/L). While providing a realistic alternative to the impractical FLOXICE protocol, direct substitution of FC Mix tubes in clinical practice may require revision of GDM diagnostic thresholds.