Abstract
BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on maternity care, supports and women’s mental health. AimThe aim of this study was to assess pregnant women’s satisfaction with antenatal care and social support and to examine stress-reduction strategies women used during the pandemic. MethodsAn online survey was conducted between June and July 2020. Pregnant women, aged over 18 years were recruited. The survey included closed and open-ended questions to assess women’s perceptions and satisfaction with their antenatal care, social support, and stress-reduction strategies. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis were used for quantitative analyses; qualitative content analysis was used for open-ended questions. Findings573 pregnant women completed the survey. Women reported low levels of social support which was predicted by women’s mental health and demographic factors and was related to public health and maternity service restrictions. Women reported that restrictions implemented in the maternity services limited their face-to face interactions with healthcare professionals and meant their partners could not attend antenatal appointments or support them in the postpartum period in the maternity setting. The lack of information on COVID-19 and pregnancy meant women had greater uncertainty about pregnancy and birth. DiscussionOur findings indicate how the lack of access to antenatal care and reduced perceived social support as a result of the restrictions implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, potentially intensifies pregnancy specific stress. ConclusionsThere is a need for the provision of supportive care, both formally and informally, particularly with women who may be more vulnerable during a pandemic.
Highlights
On January 30th, 2020, the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak of COVID-19 to be a public health emergency of international concern, and subsequently the provision of healthcare services have been significantly disrupted globally
The qualitative findings indicated that when women reported dissatisfaction with maternity services, it was mostly linked to COVID-19 related restrictions implemented, which resulted in antenatal appointments and classes being cancelled, postponed or delivered through telemedicine clinics
Policy makers and healthcare professionals must continue to implement strategies to suppress the transmission of COVID-19, our findings suggest that there is a need to consider sociodemographic and geographical factors in order to ensure the equitable delivery of high quality care that pregnant women will be satisfied with [1]
Summary
On January 30th, 2020, the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak of COVID-19 to be a public health emergency of international concern, and subsequently the provision of healthcare services have been significantly disrupted globally. Systems and processes changed within maternity services in order to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission to women, their infants and healthcare staff [1] These changes included a decreased number of antenatal appointments, with many appointments offered online or via telephone, with very few face-to-face meetings [2]. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess pregnant women’s satisfaction with antenatal care and social support and to examine stress-reduction strategies women used during the pandemic. The survey included closed and open-ended questions to assess women’s perceptions and satisfaction with their antenatal care, social support, and stress-reduction strategies. Discussion: Our findings indicate how the lack of access to antenatal care and reduced perceived social support as a result of the restrictions implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, potentially intensifies pregnancy specific stress.
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