Stillbirth in Australia 2: Working together to reduce stillbirth in Australia: The Safer Baby Bundle initiative

Christine J Andrews; David A Ellwood; Adrienne Gordon; Philippa Middleton; Caroline S E Homer; Euan M Wallace; Michael C Nicholl; Carrie Marr; Kirstine Sketcher-Baker; Megan Weller; Sean K M Seeho; Vicki J Flenady; Safer Baby Bundle collaborators

doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2020.09.006

Stillbirth in Australia 2: Working together to reduce stillbirth in Australia: The Safer Baby Bundle initiative

Women Birth. 2020 Nov;33(6):514-519. doi: 10.1016/j.wombi.2020.09.006.

Affiliations

¹ Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
² Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Griffith University, School of Medicine and Gold Coast University Hospital, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.
³ Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁴ Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; SAHMRI Women and Kids, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, Australia.
⁵ Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁶ Safer Care Victoria, Department of Health and Human Services, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; The Ritchie Centre, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
⁷ Women and Babies Research, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁸ Clinical Excellence Commission, Department of Health, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁹ Clinical Excellence Queensland, Department of Health, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
¹⁰ Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Electronic address: vicki.flenady@mater.uq.edu.au.

PMID: 33092700
DOI: 10.1016/j.wombi.2020.09.006

Abstract

The rate of late gestation stillbirth in Australia is unacceptably high. Up to one third of stillbirths are preventable, particularly beyond 28 weeks' gestation. The aim of this second paper in the Stillbirth in Australia series is to highlight one key national initiative, the Safer Baby Bundle (SBB), which has been led by the Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth in partnership with state health departments. Addressing commonly identified evidence practice gaps, the SBB contains five elements that, when implemented together, should result in better outcomes than if performed individually. This paper describes the development of the SBB, what the initiative aims to achieve, and progress to date. By collaborating with Departments of Health and other partners to amplify uptake of the SBB, we anticipate a reduction of at least 20% in Australia's stillbirth rate after 28 weeks' gestation is achievable.

Keywords: Care bundle; Maternity care; Stillbirth.

MeSH terms

Australia
Female
Fetal Death / prevention & control*
Gestational Age
Humans
Infant
Pregnancy
Stillbirth*