Health

COVID-19 Pandemic Adds New Challenges to Maternity Care


‘COVID-19 has had many impacts on the health and pharmaceutical industries, especially maternity care, by affecting provider health and patient care.’

COVID-19 has many impacts on the health and wellness industry, especially maternity care, by affecting the health of service providers and patient care. This study was reported in Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing (JPNN). According to the report of Dr. Lisa Kane Low, PhD, CNM, and her colleagues at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Key topics related to the pandemic’s impact on maternity units

In early February 2020, Dr. Kane Low and her colleagues formed Michigan-wide maternity care groups, were in the process of conducting a survey, participating in the Product Initiative obstetrics and gynecology (OBI) for data-driven quality improvement. The purpose of this survey was to assess the influence of midwifery culture on cesarean delivery rates, but the researchers wanted to understand more of how the global health crisis could affect maternity care landscape in Michigan during the pandemic. In mid-April 2020, they suggested an open-ended question, “How has COVID-19 impacted your work?”

Nurses, doctors, midwives and other maternity care professionals from 21 hospitals, representing a variety of hospitals (academic medical centers and community hospitals) and institutions (rural and urban), were asked to fill out the questionnaire form and received got 647 answers. When fully analyzing the survey responses, the research team identified the following themes:

  • Impact on patient care. Patients, who think they’ve been in labor, should wait longer to get to the hospital due to the cancellation of elective procedures and the shift from face-to-face visits to telehealth. However, respondents did see positive effects at several hospitals, including more women coming to the hospital in active labor and less labor. “It appears that this has reduced intervention rates and possibly cesarean sections,” one midwife wrote.
  • The burden of personal protective equipment (PPE). All of the providers reported that challenges related to the new reality were masked when providing patient care. The nurses gave “more intense” reactions, and they described barriers to providing in-person care as well as fatigue and discomfort from wearing PPE all day.
  • Visitor restrictions. Restricting visitors to reduce the spread of COVID-19 has had somewhat of a mixed effect, negative in reducing support for women in labor and positive in some healthcare providers, who felt that fewer visits resulted in increased patient downtime and reduced staff stress.
  • Ethical challenges and moral suffering. Respondents have some concerns about the complex balance between their own health and well-being and their ability to fulfill professional roles. At a hospital with a high rate of COVID-19 cases, concerns about “moral deterioration” were most prevalent.

This study provides key evidence and quotes directly from multiple maternity care providers across Michigan in “real time” during the COVID-19 pandemic. “This continued disruption to routine care has taken a physical and emotional toll on all maternity care professionals,” conclude Dr. Low and co-authors. “Resources are needed to support struggling suppliers to promote wellbeing and retain this essential workforce.”

Source: Medindia



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