Limitations:
There are limitations to this study. We have not included data from
other public and private hospitals in the ACT and NSW surrounds. The ACT
and surrounding areas do not have a centrally linked birthing data
collection system, so it was difficult to access this information. CHWC
is the sole tertiary level hospital for high risk women for ACT and NSW
surrounds so it is likely that most high-risk cases were referred to
CHWC, however, including trends from other hospitals would strengthen
the results. In addition, the study did not include mid trimester losses
prior to 20 weeks as the Birth Outcomes System at the CHWC does not
record births prior to this period. We also did not include births
beyond 39 weeks. This information may be useful when analysing PTB
trends and patterns and would further strengthen the study’s results.
Lastly, the study was conducted in a well-resourced country and
different health systems and societies may require different approaches.