Publicly funded homebirth in Australia: a review of maternal and neonatal outcomes over 6 years

Clark, Donald M

doi:10.5694/mja13.10887

Topics

To the Editor: The recent article by Catling-Paull and colleagues1 documents the apparently very low perinatal mortality associated with state-funded homebirth, mostly among women in Western Australia.

Mercy Hospital, Perth, WA.

Correspondence: burnbank@highway1.com.au

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

1. Catling-Paull C, Coddington RL, Foureur MJ, Homer CSE; the Birthplace in Australia Study and the National Publicly-funded Homebirth. Publicly funded homebirth in Australia: a review of maternal and neonatal outcomes over 6 years. Med J Aust 2013; 198: 616-620. <MJA full text>
2. Newnham J (Chair). 12th report of the Perinatal and Infant Mortality Committee of Western Australia: Deaths 2002–04. (Report No: HP10489 Nov 07 22445.) Perth: Department of Health WA, 2007. http://www.health.wa.gov.au/publications/documents/mortality.pdf (accessed Oct 2013).
3. Homer C, Nicoll M. Review of homebirths in Western Australia: undertaken for the Department of Health WA. (Report No. HP11284 Apr 09 23847.) Perth: Department of Health WA, 2008. http://www.healthnetworks.health. wa.gov.au/publications/docs/11284_HOMEBIRTH.pdf (accessed Oct 2013).
4. Newnham J (Chair). 13th report of the Perinatal and Infant Mortality Committee of Western Australia for deaths in the triennium 2005–07. (Report No. HP10489 Jan 11.) Perth: Department of Health WA, 2010. http://www.health.wa.gov. au/publications/documents/perinatal/13th_report_perinatal_infant_mortality_2005-7.pdf (accessed Oct 2013).

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