Bendigo Family Study Research at PSANZ 2025: General Practitioners Are a Key Source of Pregnancy Information and Antenatal Care for Regional and Rural Pregnant Women and Their Partner.

The Bendigo Family Study congratulate young investigator Dr Adele Lourensz  who presented her research at PSANZ 2025 in Brisbane. Dr Lourensz how  regional and rural pregnant women and their partners access reliable healthcare information and antenatal care at a time when regional and rural obstetric services are being consolidated.  As part of the Bendigo Family Study we sought to explore how a cohort of regional and rural parents secured information and care.

The key findings were:
* Both new mothers and fathers ranked their GP as the most substantial provider of healthcare information during the pregnancy (mothers 29.9%, fathers 26.7%).
* Mothers ranked obstetricians as the second and midwives as the third main source of information.
* However, new fathers ranked midwives as the second and obstetricians as the third key source of information.
* Family, friends and the internet were ranked well below healthcare professionals for impact.

The results reinforce the critical role of rural and regional general practitioners in pregnancy care. Maintaining an adequate GP workforce is essential for regional and rural maternity care.

regards
Professor Julie Quinlivan
​Bendigo Family Study