Retrospective Survey of Institutional Stillbirths: Preventable Factors Identified at a Tertiary Hospital in Haryana
Gargi Agarwal, Gagandeep Kour, Isha BansalBackground:
Stillbirths remain a significant global health challenge, often compounded by preventable factors. The emphasis on low- and middle-income countries such as India highlights the unequal impact of stillbirths in these areas. By unraveling preventable factors contributing to stillbirths in a specific institutional setting, targeted interventions and policies can be implemented to reducing the burden of stillbirths in these countries.
Materials and Methods:
This retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in North India, aimed to identify the factors contributing to institutional stillbirths.
Results:
The study analyzed the data from 7195 deliveries over 1 year which included 211 stillbirths, revealing an incidence of 29.3 per 1000. Socio-demographic analysis indicated a higher prevalence among younger (21–25 years), uneducated (54.1%), and economically disadvantaged women (55.1%), with the majority being unbooked for antenatal care (90.7%). Leading causes of stillbirths included hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (28.1%) and antepartum hemorrhage (13.6%), underlining the critical importance of comprehensive antenatal care. Preventable factors encompassed patient, administrative, and health worker-related issues including inadequate prenatal care (68.8%), delays in seeking medical care (79.6%), inadequate preliminary treatment (47.3%), and suboptimal decision-making processes. These findings underscore the multifactorial nature of stillbirths and the need for holistic interventions to reduce the incidence of stillbirths.
Conclusions:
The results of study reflect a high stillbirth rate in tertiary center which emphasizes the necessity of targeted strategies to address the identified issues. This includes community-based education initiatives, infrastructure enhancements in healthcare facilities, and continuous training for healthcare workers. By targeting patient, administrative, and health worker-related factors, such interventions aim to reduce the incidence of stillbirths and improve maternal care outcomes.