Logo image
Access and outcomes of general practitioner obstetrician (rural generalist)‐supported birthing units in Queensland
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Access and outcomes of general practitioner obstetrician (rural generalist)‐supported birthing units in Queensland

Debra Tennett, Lauren Kearney and Mary Kynn
Australian Journal of Rural Health, Vol.28(1), pp.42-50
2020
pdf
PDF - Published Version (Open Access)308.13 kBDownloadView
Published Version PDF - Published Version (Open Access) Open Access CC BY V4.0
url
https://doi.org/10.1111/ajr.12593View
Published Version

Abstract

access maternity obstetrics risk rural
Objective: To describe characteristics and outcomes of women birthing within GP-obstetrician (rural generalist) supported rural (level 3) obstetric units in Queensland. Design: Retrospective descriptive study. Setting: 21 GP-obstetrician supported birthing units in Queensland. Participants: Women (n = 3111) birthing from January 2017 to December 2017. Main outcome measures: Patient, pregnancy and labour characteristics and key maternal and neonatal outcomes routinely recorded in the Queensland Perinatal Data Collection and Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection were compared to Queensland public hospital aggregate data. Results: Women birthing in rural maternity units were significantly more likely to be Aboriginal or Torrs Strait Islander (16% v 9%), < 20 years old (7% v 4%), term deliveries (96% v 91%), achieve spontaneous onset of labour (67% v 51%), and birth (71% v 60%) (p<0.001) compared with all Queensland public hospitals. They were significantly less likely to be nulliparous (36% v 40%), use pharmacological analgesia (65% v 69%), or have continuous electronic fetal monitoring in labour (54% v 66%) (p<0.001). Neonatal outcomes were comparable; with no significant difference in stillbirth rate between rural units and all Queensland public hospitals (4.8 v 7.3 per 1000 births). Precipitate delivery was the most common labour complication (36% v 33%) (p<0.001). Conclusion: GP-obstetrician (rural generalist) supported rural birthing units in Queensland provide important access for low and medium risk women to deliver locally, with strong indicators of quality and safety.

Details

Metrics

7 File views/ downloads
180 Record Views

InCites Highlights

These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output

Web Of Science research areas
Nursing
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being
#5 Gender Equality

Source: InCites

Logo image