An Australian-based world-first initiative has reduced the number of pre-term births in this country by 10 percent.
Since launched in 2018, a Australian Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance program has decreased the number of babies born before 37 completed weeks by more than 25,000 and saved around $100m annually in medical costs.
Professor of Obstetrics at The University of Western Australia and Alliance Chair and Founder Professor John Newnham said the “proof of concept” phase for the program had been modelled on a pioneering initiative delivered in Western Australia.
“From 2018-2021, broad implementation of preterm birth prevention strategies across the country through the Alliance were found to have lowered the rate of preterm birth by 10 percent,” Professor Newnham said.
“These strategies were chosen for their high evidential basis of their effectiveness and suitability for the Australian healthcare environment,” he said.
“In 2021, we then expanded the methodology through the Commonwealth-funded ‘Every Week Counts National Program’ – a collaboration of 59 major hospitals working together to lower the rate of birth in the early term ages (37-39 weeks).
“Overall, we have shown that using current knowledge we can lower the rate of harmful early birth by about 7-10 per cent.
“The real face of this reduction is an approximate 4000 fewer cases of early birth each year across Australia since the program was launched.”
Professor Newnham said caring for preterm infants remained extremely expensive and the socioeconomic impact was immense.
He said a 2020 cost analysis revealed the annual cost of untimely early birth to the Australian Government was $1.4 billion each year with more than $350 million of this spend on those needing education assistance due to their early birth.
“A 10 percent reduction in early birth equates to a saving to the Federal Government of at least $100 million each year.”
