Australia is a global leader in pregnancy and postnatal care after the launch of world first ‘living’ clinical guidelines by the Australian Living Evidence Collaboration (ALEC) and Federal Government.
ALEC’s Academic Director, Professor Tari Turner, Monash University, praised ALEC’s Living Evidence for Australian Pregnancy and Postnatal Care (LEAPP) guidelines launch saying “a landmark moment for reproductive health globally and Australian clinicians and consumers. For the first time, clinicians and consumers have continuously updated national guidelines for pregnancy and postnatal care, instead of fragmented and outdated resources”.
Clinical guidelines go largely unregulated in Australia, often made behind closed doors and obsolete upon release. Worse still, traditional guidelines are typically kept ‘static’ for 5 to 10 years before an update—significantly limiting clinicians’ ability to provide high-quality, up-to-date care.
Prof. Turner strongly believes ‘living evidence’ can help solve these issues and modernise Australia’s health and research ecosystems, saying “the Federal Government’s investment in ALEC’s ‘living’ guidelines should be applauded. The new guidelines will improve consistency and effectiveness of lifesaving health care for women and babies in cities, regions and rural areas by upskilling clinicians and recognising women’s lived experience” she said.
LEAPP is funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care, with the living guidelines launched by Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon. Ged Kearney MP, at the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand’s Annual Congress.
ALEC is part of Monash University’s School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, and developed these guidelines with LEAPP partners the Australian College of Midwives and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, supported by 22 LEAPP members.
A 17-member consumer panel was engaged on all draft recommendations, and consumers are represented throughout the guideline development process. Melanie McKenzie, Deputy Chair of the LEAPP Consumer Panel, said “as a Consumer Panel we really get to shape the tone of the document and prioritise what’s important to us and how it is women-centred…. I really feel heard and valued.”
Both new guidelines use ALEC’s world-leading ‘living’ evidence model that continuously updates to reflect the latest research, continuously improving care for all Australian women and babies. The Australian Pregnancy Care Guidelines are progressively updating the previous 2020 version which included guidance as old as 2012. The Australian Pregnancy Care Guidelines now include 211 recommendations on more than 60 topics, of which 74 recommendations are new or updated. This includes mental health screening, prevention of preeclampsia and, for the first time, preventive care for women at higher risk of preterm birth.
The Australian Postnatal Care Guidelines are the first national postnatal guidelines in Australia with 48 recommendations across 6 topics, including mental health screening, perineal healing and secondary postpartum haemorrhage.
As ‘living’ guidelines, both guidelines are works in progress and will continue to grow over time. New and updated draft recommendations are published quarterly, and public feedback for ongoing improvement of the guidelines is welcome at any time.
Both guidelines are available online at https://livingevidence.org.au/living-guidelines/leapp/.