Objective
To evaluate the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Preterm Birth (PTB)
Prevention Initiative and its effects on preterm and early term birth
rates at the main tertiary hospital after 16 months of implementation.
Design: A non-randomised before and after study, where the
intervention was a multifaceted PTB prevention initiative.
Setting: The main tertiary referral hospital in the ACT.
Population: Women who birthed at the main tertiary hospital in
the ACT in the pre and post intervention period.
Methods: The PTB prevention initiative was implemented in 2019.
Rates of early birth were assessed using run charts of bimonthly preterm
and early term rates from 2014-2020.
Main Outcomes measured: The main outcomes measured were rates
of preterm and early term births before and after implementation of the
PTB prevention initiative.
Results: At the main tertiary hospital in the ACT, the rate of
PTB was significantly reduced by 10% after 16 months of implementation
of the initiative, corresponding to 45 averted or delayed PTBs. The
number of iatrogenic early term births with no medical indication (NMI)
was significantly reduced by 34.5% and resulted in 77 averted or
delayed early term births.
Conclusions: The multifaceted PTB prevention initiative safely
lowered the rates of early birth in the ACT context. These results
highlight the importance of prioritising early birth prevention,
education, research and expanding the PTB Prevention Initiative
nationwide.