Abstract

Perinatal mortality multi-disciplinary team meetings (PM-MDTMs) offer a forum for multi-disciplinary discussion of poor perinatal outcomes. They ensure a thorough understanding of individual cases and present an important learning opportunity for healthcare professionals. Attendance at PM-MDTMs in this tertiary maternity hospital has been low. We aimed to identify barriers which may be targeted to improve attendance and engagement. We invited all healthcare professionals to complete an anonymous questionnaire; 78 responses were received and analysed. Self-reported understanding of the purpose and format PM-MDTMs was high (85% and 65%), respectively), while only 50% of participants provided an accurate description of either. Only 50% reported having attended a meeting in the hospital, of whom 62% described the correct meeting. Of these, 38% reported attending regularly and 71% found the meeting relevant to their clinical practice. Of the 33% who reported attending a PM-MDTM in another hospital, 73% accurately described the meeting, 63% of these attended regularly, and 100% found it relevant. Three main qualitative themes identified as barriers to attendance, and areas for suggested improvements were: workload and staffing levels, meeting logistics, and lack of communication and education regarding PM-MDTMs. Communication regarding PM-MDTMs and their learning opportunities needs to improve.