McMaster researchers awarded $400,000 from HAHSO for pregnancy research

Building a Canadian Obstetrics Survey System 

Principal Investigators Dr. Rohan D’Souza, Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact and Dr. Jon Barrett, Professor and Chair, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology – with co-investigators Dr. Gordon Guyatt and Dr. Isabelle Malhamé (McGill University) – have received nearly $200,000 from the Hamilton Academic Health Sciences Organization (HAHSO) to launch a Canadian Obstetrics Survey System (CanOSS).  

The funding was awarded through HAHSO’s Innovation Grant Competition and will support the research team as they conduct a pilot study that will lay the foundation for a national obstetric survey system.  

CanOSS will gather detailed data on severe maternal morbidity (SMM) in Canada. SMM refers to a range of unforeseen maternal outcomes that can occur during pregnancy, labour, childbirth, and the postpartum period. While maternal mortality rates are low in high-income nations like Canada, thousands of women still suffer from avoidable and unexpected outcomes of labour and delivery that have serious short-term or long-term effects on their health. 

CanOSS will facilitate the reporting and review of SMM nationally and improve the safety and quality of maternity care in Canada by translating the data collected through these surveys into knowledgeable evidence-based practice. Dr. D’Souza and Dr. Barrett are conducting the study in collaboration with CLARITY – a collective of 14 McMaster researchers focused on advancing evidence-based clinical research that will inform and transform clinical practice and policy making.  

Studying the long-term outcomes of pregnancy delivery by forceps, vacuum and cesarean section 

Principal Investigators Dr. Giulia Muraca, Assistant Professor in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Health Research Methods Evidence and Impact and Dr. Jon Barrett – with co-investigators Dr. Rohan D’Souza and Dr. Sarka Lisonkova (University of British Columbia) – received $200,000 from HAHSO to study the long-term outcomes of mothers and babies following forceps, vacuum and cesarean deliveries that occur late in labour.   

The study will use information from population-based databases in Ontario and British Columbia to follow mothers and babies for up to 18 years to assess physical and mental health outcomes among mothers and neurodevelopmental outcomes among children. 

Understanding the long-term benefits and risks associated with these different modes of delivery can assist in the prevention and early treatment of medical conditions and will support pregnant individuals in making informed decisions about mode-of-delivery interventions late in labour.