Report on maternity deaths lists 29 ways to improve

Recommendations to help improve the quality and safety of New Zealand's maternity services are contained in a report issued yesterday.

The third annual report of the Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee is the most complete of its kind to be published in New Zealand, chairwoman Professor Cindy Farquhar said.

"It presents a full 12 months of perinatal and maternal data for the year 2007," she said.

The committee is responsible for reviewing maternal and perinatal deaths (born between 20 weeks' gestation and 28 days of age).

Reports using death data can be slower to release as assembling the confirmed cause of death can take some time.

"The time lag between a death occurring and confirming the cause can take months or even years, subject to a range of factors, including coronial investigations," said Dr Farquhar, professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Auckland.

Despite this, the committee had already started work on reporting data for the year 2008.

"The loss of mothers and their babies has an enormous impact on families and communities," said Dr Vicki Culling, consumer representative on the committee and chairwoman of Sands, a national organisation that supports parents and families following the death of a baby.

"A report such as this goes a long way to ensure that we can learn from these tragedies and identify where maternal and neonatal services may be improved."

The report highlights that New Zealand's perinatal and maternal mortality rates were similar to those of the United Kingdom and Australia.

Perinatal mortality in 2007 was 9.8 per 1000 births in New Zealand, while there were 11 maternal deaths overall.

The majority of district health boards were reported to be within the national perinatal mortality rate, said Professor Farquhar.

Some of the 29 recommendations include establishing a national perinatal epidemiology unit, highlighting clinical areas of concern such as bleeding in pregnancy and detecting small babies before birth, developing national guidelines for safe sleeping environments, and improving public awareness of wearing a seat belt during pregnancy.

- NZPA