Introduction As obstetricians, we are in danger of losing touch with our patients as they transition out of our care. The Fetal Medicine Unit (FMU) at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire manage many at-risk pregnancies each year, and effective communication with the neonatology department ensures best care at delivery. However, there has been no system in place for regular review of patient outcomes. We proposed to develop a database, available to both departments, providing key information regarding events pre- and post-delivery, in order to improve quality of care through enablement of efficient audit and service evaluation.

Methods As a pilot, we collected data on pregnancies managed by the FMU between January and September 2012. Pregnancies were categorised according to reason for initial FMU referral. Obstetric data was collected from the Viewpoint database; neonatal from medical notes. We worked with the IT department to create a shared work space on the hospital intranet, which was then accessed for audit.

Results We identified 92 relevant pregnancies. The majority of FMU referrals were for increased Combined Risk Ratios (14%) or Gastrointestinal Tract abnormalities (14/%). Two service evaluations have already been completed using data from the database, and we have received positive feedback from both departments.

Conclusions The database successfully provides a platform from which regular audits and service evaluations can be made between the FMU and neonatology department. We plan to maintain this database, allowing us to provide parents with updated local neonatal outcomes, and to better enable clinicians to review and reflect.