Winter Wellness: Your Obstetric Shared Care Newsletter
Your GP Obstetric Shared Care Team are big believers in the power of staying in the loop! Your ongoing dedication and active participation in the program play a pivotal role in making it a success!
We’re excited to present the newest CPD Activities within our Obstetric Shared Care Program, ensuring you stay informed and engaged with timely updates.
Hello,
Happy Friday! Welcome to our latest Winter Newsletter.
These newsletters often coincide with the transition to a new season and for this one it’s winter, bringing shorter days, warmer clothes and indoor heating!
As we gear up for our second Accreditation seminar tomorrow, we’re excited to welcome many of you to join us for this significant day on our calendar. If you were part of this year’s Autumn Fertility Workshops, we trust that you found the sessions engaging and valuable.
Looking ahead, I’m pleased to announce that our third Accreditation Seminar has been scheduled for August 31st at the Adelaide Pavilion, with registrations opening next week. Stay tuned as we finalise the details for this upcoming seminar and other CPD activities planned for the remainder of 2024. Your input is valuable to us, so please don’t hesitate to email me with any topics you’d like to see included and we’ll do our best to incorporate them into upcoming programs. For those who couldn’t attend or wish to revisit previous presentations, you can find them on our website.
Finally, I am pleased to report significant progress on the delayed signing off of our new Obstetric Shared Care PPG by SA Health. I have been informed that it should be returned to me for distribution within the next fortnight.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to enhancing our shared care practices.
You may have noticed updates to our website navigation recently. We are pleased to announce the integration of the GP Partners Australia website with GPEx is now complete. We believe the new, unified site will provide you with a streamlined and user-friendly experience. Should you encounter any challenges during this transition, please reach out to us promptly. Our dedicated team is here to assist and ensure your browsing experience remains seamless. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this transition.
Looking ahead, 2024 holds even more exciting opportunities, from seminars and Project ECHO sessions to workshops, webinars, and collaborative projects. Keep an eye on our newsletters for details on how you can engage and contribute.
As usual, our newsletters aim to keep you informed about the most recent developments, noteworthy updates, special announcements, and engaging discussions pertaining to all things obstetric!
From my team and myself, keep warm, happy and healthy!
With warmest wishes,
Leanne.
Important Update: South Australian Perinatal Practice Guidelines
The following perinatal practice guidelines have been updated and uploaded to:
- the SA Health Website (www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/perinatal) and
- Web-Based App (https://extapps2.sahealth.sa.gov.au/PracticeGuidelines/):
- Cervical length (short) and cerclage
- Preterm labour and birth
- Shoulder Dystocia
- Subgaleal Haemorrhage
Refer to the attached summary that details main practice changes and any budget or risk implications.
Fit Bumps, Happy Mums: Unveiling the Empowering Benefits of Exercise During Pregnancy!
Vital Core Physiotherapy and Pelvic Health have been a strong supporter of the GP Obstetric Shared Care Program, with Tory Toogood presenting at several of our CPD activities.
As you may know at Vital Core Physiotherapy and Pelvic Health they have been helping pregnant women remain active through their pregnancy for more than 20 years. Traditionally, there has been a misconception that pregnancy requires rest and minimal physical activity. However, there is a growing body of evidence supporting the safety and numerous benefits of exercise during pregnancy for both the mother and the developing baby.
Here is a brief summary of the key points discussed in their blog.
For Mothers
- Weight Management: Exercise helps control gestational weight gain, reducing the risk of gestational diabetes.
- Cardiovascular Health: Enhances blood circulation, benefiting both mother and baby.
- Reduced Discomfort: Alleviates common pregnancy discomforts like back pain and swelling.
- Mental Well-being: Regulates mood, combats stress, anxiety, and depression.
For Developing Babies:
- Healthy Birth Weight: Helps to reduces the risk of excessive birth weight.
- Preterm Birth: Some evidence suggests a lower risk.
- Improved Placental Function: Linked to optimal nutrient supply.
Safe Exercise Guidelines
The 2022 Australian physical activity guidelines recommend that pregnant women participate in 150 minutes/week of moderate intensity cardio and two resistance sessions such as at Vital Core pregnancy and post natal classes. Modify as needed and seek guidance as required and prioritise pelvic floor exercises during and after pregnancy. Their group physio exercise sessions are ideal for those requiring more careful supervision and exercise modification.
Conclusion
Engaging in regular exercise during pregnancy provides extensive benefits for both mother and baby. By adhering to established guidelines and consulting with Physiotherapists such as with a Vital Core Women’s Health Physiotherapist to tailor a program, expecting mothers can embark on an empowered journey to parenthood.
For more details you can read the full blog HERE.
The Safer Baby Bundle
The Safer Baby Bundle is a national initiative with five evidence-based elements to address key areas where improved practice can reduce the number of stillborn babies.
Please see the attached resources:
SALHN Women’s assessment service: Early Pregnancy Unit (EPU) – now 7 days
The Early Pregnancy Unit is a service provided within the Women’s Assessment Service (WAS) for women experiencing pelvic pain and/or vaginal bleeding in early pregnancy (<14 weeks).
It provides a more private environment than ED and women are treated within a shorter time period.
It is also a model that can support women and GPs to keep women out of hospital, including arranging ambulatory follow-up and supporting shared care.
The EPU is located in the Women’s Assessment Service at FMC and now open 7 DAYS Monday – Sunday 7am till 9.30pm (last patient accepted at 8pm) with the following contact details:
Phone: WAS front desk 8204 4645
Fax: 8204 5829
Location: Flinders Medical Centre, Women’s Assessment Service, level 4 (Koala lifts)
The EPU provides scheduled appointments as well as unplanned reviews.
The EPU will provide clinical review and management as indicated, for instance Bloods +/- USS.
- Written referral is required and should be faxed to 8204 5829. Please include all relevant investigations, bloods and scans.
- Clinically stable women can be seen in scheduled appointment times.
- Assessment can be escalated by contacting WAS directly.
Common presentations include:
- Confirmed viable intrauterine pregnancy with sudden onset of pelvic pain and vaginal bleeding (Threatened Miscarriage)
- Confirmed miscarriage on US requiring management
- Suspected Ectopic Pregnancy with inappropriately rising BHCG
- Retained Products of Conception following medical/surgical Termination of Pregnancy or incomplete miscarriage.
SALHN have updated their “urgent and after-hours care” one-pager resource accordingly.
Intrauterine Device Insertion Training
We have been inundated recently with requests for assistance regarding Intrauterine Device (IUD) Insertion Training, reflecting a growing interest in enhancing skills in this important area of women’s health care.
We’re excited to announce that Dr. Alison Clarke is offering specialised Intrauterine Device (IUD) Insertion Training, responding to the surge in requests for assistance.
Discover more about the training opportunities available to you now and empower yourself to deliver exceptional care in women’s health.
OPAL-3 Study
Determining the optimal dose of Omega-3 fatty acids in pregnancy for women with moderate status
You can help recruit for this study.
The success of the OPAL-3 Study is undeniably connected to the engagement and commitment of GPs referring their pregnant patients to the study team. Since launching in November 2023, the OPAL-3 study team have received almost 50 referrals, with 16 pregnant women going on to enrol. A very big thank you to everyone who has started referring their patients.
About OPAL-3 Study:
The OPAL-3 Study will help us determine the best dose of omega-3 supplements to give pregnant women, who have a moderately low level of omega-3 to reduce prematurity rates.
Eligibility is open to any woman less than 21 weeks pregnant with a singleton pregnancy.
Twilight Seminar Series: Fetal Therapy @ Twilight
This will cover some of the current, and future, opportunities to treat the baby while still unborn. Some procedures which would have seemed like science fiction only a few decades ago are now considered standard of care. And we continue to reach for new horizons to give our babies the best possible start to life in their all-important first 9 months.
This is what is covered in this recording:
- ‘ A word from our patients’! Diana Nicholls was expecting an uncomplicated twin pregnancy when Twin to Twin transfusion supervened, culminating in fetal surgery, multiple procedures, preterm birth and a long journey for her beautiful girls in the nursery. Diana will anchor our session by sharing her experience- what went well, what was a struggle, what is her ‘message in a bottle’ for all of us working in this field.
- Then Dr Alison Fung will talk about ‘Fetal anaemia and intrauterine transfusion’. Ali is the clinical director of MFM at Mercy and is the #1 ‘go to’ for the patients with suspected fetal anaemia requiring transfusion. She will be YOUR #1 ‘go to’ for all your questions regarding iso-immunisation, surveillance after parvovirus seroconversion, the when and how of intrauterine transfusion and what the long term holds for these babies.
- Following this, Dr Mark Teoh, Head of the Fetal Management Unit and Surgical Director of the Victorian Fetal Therapy Service will be covering ‘Monochorionic twins and surgical intervention’. We all think about twin to twin transfusion when we consider MC twins and this will indeed be a focus of this talk. But Mark will also touch on the complexities of Twin Reversed Arterial Perfusion Sequence, selective FGR in MC twins and more.
- Finally, there is an extra special guest joining all the way from sunny London! Professor Anna David, from University College London, is an extraordinary MFM clinician and internationally recognised researcher in Fetal Growth Restriction. She is spearheading the might EVERREST consortium focusing on outcomes and interventions for one of the most difficult clinical dilemmas in perinatal medicine- early onset fetal growth restriction . The interventional EVERREST trial will evaluate whether vascular endothelial growth factor gene therapy can improve outcome in severe early-onset fetal growth restriction. It is a huge privilege to have her joining us, and she has kindly agreed to cover ‘Management and therapies for early onset FGR-and Postnatal care and planning for the next pregnancy’.
After viewing this recording, please inform me so that I can promptly upload your CPD hours in the Program. (Password: Twilight)
Reproductive carrier screening information
Link to the NSW brochure for families – https://www.genetics.edu.au/PDF/Reproductive_carrier_screening-fact_sheet-CGE.pdf
A list of providers is available here: https://www.mackenziesmission.org.au/other-options-for-carrier-screening/
Link to another article reviewing expanded carrier screening and wide discrepancy between providers (i.e. only 15 conditions consistent across all reviewed) – https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pd.6434
Please note: RCS is different to screening tests undertaken during pregnancy, such as non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), which assess the chances of a baby having Down syndrome or other chromosome conditions.
Medicare-funded reproductive genetic carrier screening in Australia has arrived: are we ready?
Don’t miss out! Save the date!
Accreditation Seminar #3
31 August 2024
The Adelaide Pavilion
Registrations opening soon!
These are RACGP-approved CPD activities under the RACGP CPD Program
The GP Obstetric Shared Care Program has a key role in advocacy, policy and promoting high quality, safe and innovative practice. There is no more effective environment for learning than the in-person exchange of information and there is always ample opportunity to ask questions.
Tickets are now open for ARU2024!
Roll up, roll up; the Greatest Show of 2024 is coming to town – Tickets are now OPEN for Mercy Perinatal Australian Reproduction Update (ARU).
Do not wait, do not delay – get in now to lock in your place to hear all about the latest and greatest reproductive advances of 2024. The theme for 2024 is The Greatest Show; Perseverance, Innovation and Equality in Reproduction.
Australian Reproduction Update 2024
Woodward Conference Centre, The University of Melbourne
Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th August 2024