Incidence and causes of stillbirth in the only tertiary referral hospital in the Solomon Islands: a hospital-based retrospective cohort study

Objectives Stillbirth is a major global health issue, which disproportionately affects families living in low-income and middle-income countries. The Solomon Islands is a Pacific nation with poor perinatal outcomes, however research investigating stillbirth is lacking. Thus, we aimed to investigate the incidence and cause of stillbirth occurring at the National Referral Hospital, Solomon Islands.Design We conducted a retrospective cohort study from January 2017 to December 2018.Setting At the only tertiary referral hospital in the Solomon Islands, on the main island of Guadalcanal.Participants All births occurring in the hospital during the study period.Outcome measures Number of, causes and risk factors for stillbirths (fetal deaths before birth at ≥20 estimated gestational weeks, or ≥500 g in birth weight).Results Over 2 years 341 stillbirths and 11 056 total births were recorded, giving an institutional incidence of 31 stillbirths per 1000 births. Of the cases with a recorded cause of death, 72% were deemed preventable. Most stillbirths occurred antenatally and 62% at preterm gestations (