Program history
AMOSS is important because:
- The incidence of severe obstetric morbidity is unknown in Australia & New Zealand
- Individually rare conditions are uncommon; together they are a considerable burden onto women, their families and hospitals that care for them
- As these conditions are so uncommon they are difficult to study, hence a paucity in research
- Clinical practice is rarely based upon robust evidence-base
- There is a lack of clinical management of these conditions
- As maternal mortality is rare in Australia studies into potentially life threatening events may give more insight into risk factors and possible means of prevention
AMOSS' versatility allows interventions/conditions that have significant clinical and public health importance to be studied. For example, one of the preliminary interventions to be studied in 2009 is peripartum hysterectomy a known major obstetric complication, which is of relevance to the Australian population with the increasing rate of caesarean sections. Other examples include massive blood transfusion and admissions to ICU.
AMOSS will work in partnership with the United Kingdom Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS), which was successfully implemented in 2005 to conduct surveillance and epidemiologcial studies on rare disorders in the United Kingdom. Sixteen conditions have been studied since UKOSS was implemented in 227 National Health Service Hosptials (NHS). Once AMOSS is fully established international studies will be conducted to increase the utility of the system.
AMOSS is a National Health and Medical Research Council five-year funded project. The project is based at the Perinatal and Reproductive Epidemiology Research Unit, University of New South Wales.
1. Sullivan EA, Hall, B & King J (2008) Maternal deaths in Australia 2003-2005. Sydney: AIHW National Perinatal Statistics Unit.