Reducing adverse maternal and infant outcomes in Aotearoa New Zealand: Clinical Guidelines for Better Maternal Care

ACC's Neonatal Encephalopathy Taskforce recognised critical gaps in clinical guidance for preventing neonatal encephalopathy and adverse infant outcomes associated with fetal growth restriction. We supported the development of draft guidelines, including completing technical updates, consistency checking and structure setting, before sector-wide consultation began. Sector feedback was acknowledged and incorporated into the final endorsed guidelines. 

Our approach included reviewing existing materials, supporting a multidisciplinary group of clinical and whānau experts and preparing a clear, consistent consultation document. We then undertook a comprehensive consultation process including gathering feedback from 27 submissions across professional colleges, consumer groups and clinical networks. With guidance for the experts, we incorporated feedback from stakeholders and secured endorsement from relevant professional colleges. 

To create a simple document that is easy for busy health practitioners to use, we split the guidelines into two parts: concise recommendations for day-to-day clinical use and detailed evidence reviews for in-depth reference. 

The resulting national clinical practice guidelines support standardised care for screening, diagnosing and managing SGA and FGR. The guidelines incorporated equity and hauora Māori considerations and provided evidence-based recommendations for New Zealand's maternity care model. 

We supported the experts to develop: