Stillbirth Investigations - Pathologists Project

Project outline:

As the peak professional body responsible for training pathologists to provide perinatal autopsy services, The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) has been contracted by the Australian Government to increase the profession’s capacity to undertake stillbirth investigations and promote a greater awareness amongst prenatal care professionals of the availability and access to stillbirth investigations and autopsies performed by specialised pathologists. Futureproofing the perinatal pathologist workforce capacity and capability to deliver these services is vital.

The RCPA will engage stakeholders to identify knowledge and service gaps to better understand the profession’s needs and what effort is required to help reduce stillbirth occurrences. With the development and implementation of a national training program, a best practice standard/guideline, decision support tools and practice support resources, the RCPA, as well as the Australian Government, state and territory governments, and other organisations will be better equipped to assist with the implementation of the National Stillbirth Action and Implementation Plan.

We acknowledge the support of the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.