Analysis of All Stillbirths in Stockholm County 2017, a Multidisciplinary Audit

Intra-Uterine Death

IUFD

All stillbirths in Stockholm during 2017 were analysed according to the primary outcomes which were preventable/non-preventable deaths and the level of delay. The secondary outcomes were: causes of death, standard of care pre and post stillbirth and if a summary of the possible causes of death was made as well as the planning of supervision of the next pregnancy.

This is a retrospective cohort study. A multidisciplinary team consisting of three obstetricians, one midwife and one neonatologist was assembled. The team represented the largest hospitals in the region-Karolinska University Hospital and Stockholm Soderl Hospital. Each team member in the audit group had access to all the medical patient charts from the hospitals and also the majority of the charts from the antenatal care clinics (ANC). Each team member independently assessed each case regarding causes of death, preventable/non-preventable deaths, the level of delay if there was any and the standard of healthcare provided to the patients with stillbirth, the postmortem examination of infant and mother and if there were any recommendations given for the next pregnancy. Multiple meetings were organized for discussing the results of the individual assessment of each case. To enable an ethical discussion every member of the audit group signed a confidentiality form and all cases were assessed by comparison with local guidelines in praxis.

Sweden