Evaluation of an online education module designed to reduce stillbirth.

BACKGROUND: The Safer Baby Bundle (SBB) eLearning is an online education module that addresses practice gaps in stillbirth prevention in Australia. It provides healthcare professionals with evidence-based resources for: smoking cessation; fetal growth restriction; decreased fetal movements; maternal safe going-to-sleep position; and timing of birth for women with risk factors for stillbirth. AIMS: To determine whether participants' reported knowledge and confidence in providing care designed to reduce stillbirth changed following completion of the module. To assess the module's suitability and acceptability, and participants' reported likelihood to change practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In-built surveys undertaken pre- and post-eLearning module assessed participant knowledge and confidence, module suitability and acceptability, and likelihood of practice change using Likert items. Responses were dichotomised. Differences pre- and post-module were tested using McNemar's test and differences by profession were examined using descriptive statistics and Pearson's χ2 test. RESULTS: Between 15 October 2019 and 2 November 2020, 5223 participants across Australia were included. Most were midwives (82.0%), followed by student midwives (4.6%) and obstetricians (3.3%). Reported knowledge and confidence improved in all areas (P < 0.001). Post-module 96.7-98.9% 'agreed' they had a sound level of knowledge and confidence across all elements of the SBB. Over 95% of participants agreed that the module was helpful and relevant, well organised, and easy to access and use. Eighty-eight percent reported they were likely to change some aspect of their clinical practice. CONCLUSIONS: The SBB eLearning module is a valuable education program that is well-received and likely to result in improvements in practice.

A prospective review of perinatal mortality at Hospital Nacional Guido Valadares (HNGV).

BACKGROUND: Timor-Leste has one of the highest perinatal mortality rates in the Asia-Pacific region. Consistent and accurate data collection improves understanding of perinatal outcomes and facilitates the development of interventions to reduce stillbirths and early neonatal deaths. AIMS: (1) To identify changes in the rates of stillbirth and early neonatal deaths from previous published data. (2) To determine if prospective data collection and the application of the simplified Causes Of Death and Associated Conditions (CODAC) classification allows better identification of perinatal deaths in Timor-Leste. METHODS: A prospective audit of perinatal deaths of women delivering at Hospital Nacional Guido Valadares (HNGV) was undertaken from January to June 2016 inclusive. The hospital birth registry, maternal and neonatal records were reviewed to determine the most likely aetiology and classification of perinatal deaths using the simplified CODAC system. RESULTS: One hundred and ten stillbirths and 28 early neonatal deaths were identified. Fifty-four percent of perinatal deaths occurred antepartum, 26% intrapartum and 20% were early neonatal deaths. Cause of death among stillbirths could not be ascertained in 40% of cases. Intrapartum asphyxia was the commonest identified aetiology of intrapartum and early neonatal deaths. CONCLUSION: There has been limited improvement in the rate of stillbirths and early neonatal deaths at HNGV. Intrapartum hypoxia and maternal hypertensive conditions were the most common identified aetiologies highlighting areas where targeted interventions may help reduce high perinatal mortality rates. Aetiology of perinatal deaths, particularly antepartum stillbirths was difficult to discern even when well-tested classification systems are used.

Maternal mortality and 'near miss' morbidity at a tertiary hospital in Timor-Leste.

BACKGROUND: Assessment of severe maternal morbidity is increasingly being undertaken to understand the aetiology and factors which lead to adverse maternal outcomes. Their use in conjunction with maternal deaths may allow a comprehensive assessment of care provided, highlight areas for improvement within the health system and allow benchmarking of care against other institutions. Timor-Leste has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the Asia-Pacific region; however, there has been limited research into the level of severe obstetric morbidity in the country. AIM: To determine the aetiology and rates of severe obstetric morbidity and mortality at Hospital Nacional Guido Valadares, Timor-Leste. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Cases of maternal 'near misses' and deaths were prospectively identified over a period of 12 months using the World Health Organization maternal near-miss criteria. Cases of maternal death and near miss were combined (severe maternal outcomes) for descriptive analysis. RESULTS: During the audit period, 69 severe maternal outcomes were identified: 30 maternal deaths and 39 'near misses'. The maternal mortality ratio and the maternal near-miss ratio were 662/100 000 live births and 8/1000 live births, respectively. The main identified obstetric aetiologies were haemorrhage and pre-eclampsia, while 22% of severe maternal outcomes did not have a clearly identified cause. CONCLUSION: The high institutional maternal mortality ratio requires urgent attention and identification of areas for improvement. Auditing and benchmarking using the WHO near-miss criteria provide a mechanism for standardised comparison of obstetric care but require further refinement to the local context.

Supporting Timor-Leste midwives and nurses through an educational program: An evaluative study.

Little is currently known about the impacts of participation in a five-week Australian maternal and newborn health training program for Timorese midwives and nurses. BACKGROUND: The maternal mortality rate in Timor-Leste is estimated to be around 204 per 100,000 live births, and there is a correlation between safe and quality maternal and newborn health services. Hence, there is a need to develop the nation's maternity workforce. Whilst numerous training programs have been geared towards improving the knowledge and skills of Timorese midwives and nurses, to date, no published study has evaluated their impact on participants. AIM: To describe satisfaction of an Australian maternal and newborn health training program for Timorese midwives and nurses and its impact based upon the participants survey and qualitative evaluations. METHODS: An evaluative study was conducted using a survey to explore the impacts of a five-week Australian residential training program on 12 Timorese midwives and one nurse. FINDINGS: The survey data demonstrated an increase in the participants knowledge and skills required to provide enhanced maternal and newborn care; post-training, most participants demonstrated increased knowledge of obstetric emergencies. The participants showed the most pronounced increase in Advanced Clinical Skills in the subjects of fetal assessment, neonatal resuscitation and obstetric emergencies. The qualitative data identified two main themes and six subthemes related to professionalism, communication, and connections. CONCLUSION: An Australian residential training program, provided in collaboration with local Rotary clubs can enhance the development of maternal and newborn healthcare skills for midwives and nurses from Timor-Leste.

Sharing experiences to improve bereavement support and clinical care after stillbirth: report of the 7th annual meeting of the International Stillbirth Alliance.

Stillbirth remains a global health challenge which is greatly affected by social and economic inequality, particularly the availability and quality of maternity care. The International Stillbirth Alliance (ISA) exists to raise awareness of stillbirth and to promote global collaboration in the prevention of stillbirth and provision of appropriate care for parents whose baby is stillborn. The focus of this ISA conference was to share experiences to improve bereavement support and clinical care. These issues, relevant throughout the globe, are not discrete but closely interrelated, with both similarities and differences depending on the specific country and cultural context. Counting stillbirths and understanding the causes of stillbirth are essential not only for providing optimal care and support to parents whose babies die, but also for reducing the future burden of stillbirth. This summary highlights novel work from obstetricians, midwives, psychologists, parents and peer support organizations that was presented at the ISA meeting. It covers topics including the bereavement process, peer support for parents, support and training for staff, evidence for clinical care, and the need for accurate data on stillbirths and perinatal audits. Representatives from the maternity services of the region presented their outcome data and shared their experiences of clinical and bereavement care. Data and developments in practice within stillbirth and bereavement care must be widely disseminated and acted upon by those responsible for maternity care provision, both to prevent stillbirths and to provide high-quality care when they do occur.

Pretreatment With Mifepristone Compared With Misoprostol Alone for Delivery After Fetal Death Between 14 and 28 Weeks of Gestation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of pretreatment with mifepristone before misoprostol, compared with misoprostol alone, for termination of pregnancy after a fetal death in the second trimester. METHODS: This prospective, double blind, placebo-controlled trial randomized women requiring a termination of pregnancy after fetal death between 14 and 28 weeks of gestation to placebo or 200 mg mifepristone orally 24-48 hours before the termination of pregnancy with misoprostol (400 micrograms every 6 hours vaginally for women at 24 weeks of gestation or less, and 200 micrograms every 4 hours vaginally for women at 24 weeks of gestation or more). Based on a median labor with misoprostol alone in the second trimester of 13 hours, a sample size of 116 women per group was planned to compare the primary outcome of time from administration of misoprostol to delivery. The trial was ceased after 66 women were enrolled secondary to prolonged time to achieve recruitment. RESULTS: From April 2013 to November 2016, 66 women were randomized (34 to placebo and 32 to mifepristone). There were no differences in the characteristics between the two groups. The median time for the primary outcome of administration of misoprostol to delivery in the placebo group was 10.5 hours, compared with 6.8 hours in the treatment group (hazard ratio 2.41 95% CI 1.39-4.17, P=.002). Women in the placebo group required more doses of misoprostol (3.4 vs 2.1, P=.002) and more misoprostol overall (1,181.8 micrograms, vs 767.7 micrograms, P=.003). There was no difference in maternal complications between the two groups. Women in the mifepristone group reported improved perception of the procedure. CONCLUSION: The sequential use of mifepristone and misoprostol for the termination of pregnancy after fetal deaths between 14 and 28 weeks of gestation reduces the time to delivery, compared with the use of misoprostol alone, with no worsening of maternal complications. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12612000884808.

Infection and fetal loss in the mid-second trimester of pregnancy.

INTRODUCTION: Chorioamnionitis is a common cause of second trimester pregnancy loss, usually due to ascending infection. This study investigates the prevalence and bacteriology of chorioamnionitis in cases of spontaneous pregnancy loss in previable gestations (16-22 weeks). METHODS: Fetal losses between 16- and 22-week gestation were identified from the institutional database over a three-year period. Cases with an autopsy were identified, pathology reports reviewed, and maternal features noted (clinical symptoms, blood count and vaginal culture results). Second trimester medical termination for fetal abnormality during the same time period served as controls for the confounding influence of labour. RESULTS: A total of 101 cases of spontaneous non-anomalous non-macerated fetal losses and 103 control cases of induced loss for fetal anomaly were identified. Median gestation of cases was 19 weeks (interquartile range (IQR) 17, 21) and of controls was 20 weeks (IQR 19, 21). Maternal white cell count was higher in cases (median 13.6 IQR 10.8, 16.6) than in controls (9.9 IQR 7.6, 11.5) (P < 0.01). Seventy-eight (77.2%) of 101 cases and no controls had histological chorioamnionitis. A fetal reaction was identified in 48.7% of cases with chorioamnionitis, and the frequency of fetal reaction increased as gestation advanced (5.3% at 16-week gestation vs 33.3% at 22-week gestation). In cases with chorioamnionitis 36/76 (47.4%) were culture positive, whereas 4/25 (16%) without chorioamnionitis were culture positive. CONCLUSION: In otherwise normal fetuses, chorioamnionitis is a common finding in mid-trimester pregnancy loss. Routine culture methods have a low sensitivity for isolation of the causative micro-organisms. This inflammatory process seems to predate the onset of labour and appears a primary mechanism in the aetiology of such losses.

Maternal periodontal disease and perinatal mortality.

BACKGROUND: Periodontal disease has been associated with increased perinatal mortality. AIMS: To examine the association between maternal periodontal disease and perinatal mortality. METHODS: We performed a retrospective and prospective matched case-control study of women with unexplained perinatal mortality at more than 20 weeks gestational age. Women were matched for socioeconomic status, smoking status and time since delivery. All women underwent a detailed periodontal examination and completed a questionnaire describing oral health symptoms. No intervention took place. RESULTS: Fifty-three women who had experienced a perinatal death and 111 controls completed the study. Thirty-two women were recruited retrospectively and 21 women were recruited prospectively. Twenty-three (43.4%) women who had experienced a perinatal death and 27 (24.3%) controls had periodontal disease. There were no differences in oral health behaviours or symptoms between cases and controls. Perinatal death was associated with periodontal disease (odds ratio (OR) 2.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05, 5.47). Periodontal disease was more strongly associated with perinatal mortality due to extreme prematurity (OR 3.60, 95% CI 1.20, 12.04). Multivariate analysis showed this relationship to be consistent after inclusion of higher parity, country of birth, advanced maternal age and maternal obesity in the model (OR 4.56, 95% CI 1.25, 21.27). CONCLUSIONS: Maternal periodontal disease may contribute to perinatal mortality, especially that caused by extreme prematurity.

Mifepristone and oral, vaginal, or sublingual misoprostol for second-trimester abortion: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of the vaginal and sublingual administration of the synthetic prostaglandin misoprostol with the currently used oral administration route in second-trimester medical abortion. METHODS: This was a prospective randomized trial of medical abortion with misoprostol after mifepristone priming at 14-24 weeks of gestation. From 2009 to 2013, recruited women received 200 mg mifepristone orally followed 24-48 hours later by an 800-microgram vaginal loading dose of misoprostol. Women were then randomized to receive additional 400-microgram misoprostol doses orally every 3 hours, vaginally every 4 hours, or sublingually every 3 hours. The main outcome was the duration of abortion with emphasis on the proportion of women undelivered 12 hours after the misoprostol loading dose in the three groups. RESULTS: A total of 302 women were randomized: 100 to oral, 100 to vaginal, and 102 to sublingual misoprostol. The median gestation at recruitment was oral 19.1 weeks (interquartile range 17.2-20.8), vaginal 19.4 weeks (interquartile range 17.3-20.4), and sublingual 19.7 weeks (interquartile range 17.6-21.0). The overall abortion duration was longer in women receiving oral misoprostol: oral 9.5 hours (95% confidence interval [CI] 8.5-11.4), vaginal 7.4 hours (95% CI 6.5-8.2), and sublingual 7.8 hours (95% CI 7.0-9.2). Overall, 84 of 302 (27.8%) women were undelivered at 12 hours, comprising 37.0% (95% CI 28.7-47.8) oral, 20.5% (95% CI 14.0-30.1) vaginal, and 21.0% (95% CI 14.3-30.7) sublingual groups. CONCLUSION: Vaginal or sublingual misoprostol administered after a vaginal loading dose in second-trimester medical abortion with mifepristone priming is associated with a shorter time to pregnancy termination compared with an oral regimen. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT00864799. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I.

Providing perinatal loss care: satisfying and dissatisfying aspects for midwives.

PURPOSE: There is limited midwifery research that focuses on midwives experiences and attitudes to providing care for women who experience the death of a baby. There is also limited research investigating care components, and evidence to inform the basis of clinical practice in Australia and internationally. This paper presents the qualitative findings of a small study that aimed to investigate midwives experience, confidence and satisfaction with providing care for women who experienced perinatal loss. PROCEDURE: Eighty-three Western Australian midwives responded to an open ended question asking them to describe the most and least satisfying aspects of their role when providing care to women who experienced a perinatal loss. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. FINDINGS: The analysis revealed that Australian midwives gained most satisfaction from providing skilled midwifery care that they considered made a difference to women. This was enabled when midwives were afforded the opportunity to provide continuity of midwifery carer to women throughout the labour, birth and early postnatal period. In terms of the least satisfying aspects of care, midwives identified that they struggled with the emotional commitment needed to provide perinatal loss care, as well as with how to communicate openly and share information with women. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Within the context of the study setting, midwifery care for women following perinatal loss reflects the care components espoused in the literature. There are, however, organisational issues within health care that require commitment to continuity of care and further education of practitioners to enhance outcomes for clients.