Redcliffe Hospital’s leading role in co-designing inclusive and holistic obstetric care

Fathers and partners play a crucial health role in pregnancy—before conception, during pregnancy and after birth. However, there remains a lack of screening and support for them during the obstetric journey.

Associate Professor Alka Kothari is on a mission to close this gap through co-design and advocacy and make obstetric care more inclusive for fathers and partners.

“Co-design has been the guiding principle of this work, as I have closely engaged with fathers, partners and families who’ve faced adverse obstetric events to develop a set of best practice principles,” Assoc Prof Kothari said.

“The principles include compassionate engagement, access to learning and education and mental health screening and supports.”

The principles were developed through consultation with around 100 fathers, partners, mums and other family members from across the community, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, LGBTIQA+ and culturally and linguistically diverse parents.

“This research aims to address the critical absence of support models for fathers, partners and non-birthing parents in Australia,” Assoc Prof Kothari said.

“By building relational trust between consumers, community members and professionals, diverse voices were heard and empowered throughout the research process to generate actionable knowledge for meaningful change.”

The principles aim to shape compassion-based care and interventions to better support birthing families during challenging times.

“The experiences of fathers and partners during pregnancy and birth can profoundly affect their mental health and that of the rest of the family,” Assoc Prof Kothari said.

“Stillbirth, fetal death and life-threatening complications don’t just impact mothers; they weigh heavily on fathers and partners, too.

“By engaging with fathers and partners to understand their experiences of the health system as an expectant parent, we are designing compassion-based interventions for dads, mums and healthcare professionals to reduce risks after traumatic events.”

Assoc Prof Kothari’s research has seen her win multiple prestigious awards and provide keynote speeches at Australian and international conferences and community events.

“My goal is to give every child the best start in life,” she said.

“Understanding the experiences and needs of fathers and partners, especially when things don’t go as planned, is an important part of that.”

For Assoc Prof Kothari, the work is ongoing.

The next steps in her research will include developing, implementing and evaluating single-stage interventions that support birthing families, including those from minority groups as well as healthcare professionals.