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PLRG at ISQua’s International Conference 2026
Professor Keelin O’Donoghue, Caroline O’Connor and Marita Hennessy recently attended the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua)’s 42nd International Conference and presented a range of research on behalf of the Pregnancy Loss Research Group.
‘Thriving Through Compassion and Community: Sharing Stories for the Future of Health Systems’ was the theme of this year’s conference which was held in partnership with the Health Service Executive and Department of Health. The conference brought over 1400 healthcare professionals from 80 countries together in Dublin to discuss quality, safety, and patient-centred innovation.
The conference was held in the Dublin Convention Centre from 27-30 September.
PLRG Presentations at the ISQua Conference 2026
| Title | Authors | Related Project / Research Area |
|---|---|---|
| Oral presentation | ||
| Working with ambiguity: A quality improvement initiative to enhance the ethical, equitable and respectful management of pregnancy tissue | Niamh Howard-Jones, Marita Hennessy, Susan Dineen, Brendan Fitzgerald, Keelin O'Donoghue | Miscarriage |
| 7-minute lightning talks | ||
| A national evaluation of dichorionic diamniotic (DCDA) twin pregnancy services in Ireland | Caroline O'Connor, Sara Leitao, Keelin O'Donoghue | MILESTONE |
| Enhancing and scaling innovations and improvements in miscarriage care in the Republic of Ireland: An integrated knowledge translation approach | Marita Hennessy, Jennifer Uí Dhúbhgáin, Keelin O'Donoghue | RE:CURRENT |
| SPRING (Supporting Pregnancy and Reproductive health Information for teenaGers): piloting reproductive health literacy and pregnancy loss educational tools for senior cycle students | Therese Leahy, Brendan Fitzgerald, Keelin O'Donoghue, Shelly Whelan, Rióna Cotter, Susan Dineen, Tamara Escañuela Sánchez, Marita Hennessy, Eilis Mc Carthy, Órla Power, Holly Peters, SPRING Project Students, Laura Linehan | SPRING |
| Ending Preventable Baby Deaths: An action plan for Ireland | Tamara Escañuela Sánchez, Anne-Marie Farrell, Mairie Cregan, Marita Hennessy, Richard Greene, Keelin O’Donoghue | Ending Preventable Baby Deaths |
| Poster presentations | ||
| The CODING Study: An international service evaluation of data recording practices in gestational trophoblastic disease | Aoife Corcoran, Caroline Joyce, Christianne Lok, John Coulter, Keelin O’Donoghue | CODING |
| Quality of antenatal care in DCDA twin pregnancies: A national survey of patient experiences in Ireland | Tommy Harty, Caroline O’Connor, Sinead Harkin, Sara Leitao, Keelin O’Donoghue | MILESTONE |
Photo gallery

Caroline O'Connor presenting her 7-minute lightning talk titled 'A national evaluation of dichorionic diamniotic (DCDA) twin pregnancy services in Ireland'.

Marita Hennessy presenting 'Working with ambiguity: A quality improvement initiative to enhance the ethical, equitable and respectful management of pregnancy tissue' on behalf of Niamh Howard-Jones.
More about ISQua
The International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua) is a leading organisation dedicated to improving healthcare safety and quality worldwide. It brings together clinicians, executives, policymakers, regulators, and patient advocates from across 80+ countries to support system-wide transformation. Through its educational courses, membership programmes, globally recognised external evaluation, and yearly conference, ISQua gives healthcare professionals the tools, peer support, and global platform to turn knowledge into action.