USANZ Endorses National Recommendations on Severe Obstetric Perineal Injury

The National Association of Specialist Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (NASOG) along with USANZ and the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand is calling for a nationally consistent approach to reviewing maternity services with unusually high rates of severe obstetric perineal injury with the release of their media release: Beyond the Benchmark – Three Specialist Societies Call for Better Birth Governance

Third- and fourth-degree perineal tears, also known as obstetric anal sphincter injuries, are serious patient safety outcomes that can have lifelong consequences. The jointly endorsed Position Statement: Independent External Review of Maternity Services with High Rates of Severe Obstetric Perineal Trauma calls for transparent, independent and multidisciplinary reviews that consider patient risk factors, clinical practices, workforce capability, specialist involvement, models of care and governance.

The accompanying National Recommendations for Independent External Review of Severe Obstetric Perineal Injury propose a consistent review framework, including an initial review threshold of five per cent of vaginal births. They also call for clear accountability, consumer partnership and a national learning system to ensure findings lead to sustained improvements in maternity care and patient safety.

This collaboration recognises the importance of bringing obstetric, colorectal and urological expertise together to strengthen clinical governance, prevent avoidable harm and improve outcomes for women.

The documents are available on the NASOG website and are also available on the Position Statements & Guidelines page of the USANZ website.