Abstract
Stillbirth is a major public health problem with an enormous mortality burden and
psychosocial impact on parents, families and the wider community both globally and
in Australia. In 2015, Australia’s late gestation stillbirth rate was over 30% higher
than that of the best-performing countries globally, highlighting the urgent need
for action. We present an overview of the foundations which led to the establishment
of Australia’s NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth (Stillbirth CRE)
in 2017 and highlight key activities in the following areas: Opportunities to expand
and improve collaborations between research teams; Supporting the conduct and development
of innovative, high quality, collaborative research that incorporates a strong parent
voice; Promoting effective translation of research into health policy and/or practice;
and the Regional and global work of the Stillbirth CRE. We highlight the first-ever
Senate Inquiry into Stillbirth in Australia in 2018. These events ultimately led to
the development of a National Stillbirth Action and Implementation Plan for Australia
with the aims of reducing stillbirth rates by 20% over the next five years, reducing
the disparity in stillbirth rates between advantaged and disadvantaged communities,
and improving care for all families who experience this loss.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
September 4,
2020
Received in revised form:
September 4,
2020
Received:
June 22,
2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
