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Stillbirth Investigations Collaborative

Project Status In Progress
Organisation Lead Stillbirth CRE
Lead Investigator Siobhan Loughnan
Program Area Implementing Best Practice In Care After Stillbirth And In Subsequent Pregnancies
Topic Implementing Optimal Parent-centred Care Following Perinatal Death
Contact Siobhan Loughnan at siobhan.loughnan@mater.uq.edu.au

Several initiatives are currently being driven by the Department of Health and Aged Care across Australia as part of the National Stillbirth Action and Implementaiton Plan to improve stillbirth investigations. These initiatives will occur at similar times and will address different aspects of stillbirth investigations leading to interactions and synergies. The Stillbirth CRE have established a Stillbirth Investigations Collaborative Group with representatives from Red Nose, The Royal Australian New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANCR), the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA), and Stillbirth Foundation Australia.

The Stillbirth CRE will lead the evaluation and uptake of the following projects:

  • Red Nose will lead the development and evaluation of a range of accessible and culturally safe parent resources to assist bereaved parents and their care providers with autopsy decision following stillbirth and newborn death. Resources will be developed and evaluated in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders. Specific resources will be developed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents, and parents and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD) including translation into multiple languages. The Stillbirth CRE will oversee the evaluation component to ensure all resources are helpful and acceptable to both parents and care providers when a baby dies. Resources now available here: https://rednose.org.au/section/stillbirth-parent-resources
  • Ongoing research supports magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a minimally invasive and clinically valuable alternative or adjunct to conventional autopsy, with radiologists best placed to perform, interpret and diagnose. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) has developed a Perinatal Post-mortem Investigation Training Package which includes webinars, resources and a face-to-face workshop to improve stillbirth investigation quality and uptake. Available here: https://www.ranzcr.com/stillbirth-investigations-project

A program logic has been developed for this Collaborative:

Western Pacific Regional Office of the International Stillbirth Alliance
Coordinating Centre, Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Alliance, Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand

Level 3, Aubigny Place
Mater Research Institute
Raymond Terrace,
South Brisbane QLD 4101
The University of Queensland Faculty of Medicine

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