Scope and purpose, Audience, Population and Health questions

#Scope and purpose

The purpose of Taonga Tuku Iho is to provide a single point of reference for the evidence-based care of whānau, wāhine/people and pēpi at risk of preterm birth in Aotearoa. It includes recommendations and practice points alongside the tools and resources to support their implementation. Taonga Tuku Iho aims to achieve equity in care and outcomes for all whānau, wāhine/people and their pēpi at risk of preterm birth in Aotearoa, whoever they are, and wherever they live.

The scope of Taonga Tuku Iho is intentionally wide and includes spontaneous preterm birth (which occurs after preterm labour and/or preterm rupture of membranes), and provider-initiated preterm birth (which is indicated on māmā/person and/or pēpi wellbeing grounds).

This best practice guide includes three key areas for provision of care:

1. Prediction of which wāhine/people are at risk of preterm birth

2. Interventions for the prevention of preterm birth

3. Preparation before birth to optimise outcomes for pēpi after preterm birth occurs.

The term ‘interventions’ is used in a broad sense and may include public health initiatives, lifestyle changes, models of care, screening tests, diagnostic tests, drugs, devices, vaccines, surgery, behavioural therapies, or other interventions. Interventions may be given to individuals or applied to systems.

Taonga Tuku Iho is designed to complement, not supersede, existing high-quality national, bi-national and international clinical practice guidelines on topics relevant to preterm birth. It brings information together for ease of use and provides adaptation and contextualisation to suit the needs of Aotearoa and the resources and tools that enable improved implementation of these guidelines.

#Audience

Taonga Tuku Iho is intended for the providers of pregnancy and perinatal care including general practitioners, midwives, obstetricians, neonatologists/paediatricians, perinatal allied health care professionals, and other pregnancy service providers. It is also relevant to pregnancy service policy-makers and funders. This best practice guide may also be accessed by pregnant wāhine/people and their whānau, wāhine/people who are planning pregnancy, and those who have had a preterm birth.

The healthcare setting for this best practice guide is pregnancy and newborn care in Aotearoa. This includes care provided in public health initiatives, in general practice, by Lead Maternity Carers in the primary care setting, and in secondary and tertiary hospitals.

#Population

Taonga Tuku Iho provides recommendations on the care for wāhine/people and their whānau, wāhine/people who are planning pregnancy, and those who have had a preterm birth.

#Health Questions

The Taonga Tuku Iho health questions were developed to clarify the specific purpose and parameters of the topic for the best practice guide. The questions were set with consideration of the population impacted by preterm birth, the healthcare setting and health professionals who will use the guide, the interventions of interest, and the expected outcomes including their impact on equity in Aotearoa. A total of 194 health questions across 37 main topics were identified for consideration.