SEARCHCROSS-SECTIONALobstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics

cross-sectional·obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, public health, epidemiology, observational study·PMC10022345

“ Separated during the first hours ”—Postnatal care for women and newborns during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed-methods cross-sectional study from a global online survey of maternal and newborn healthcare providers

PLOS Global Public Health · 13 authors, 7 centres

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TL;DR

This global cross-sectional survey of 424 healthcare providers from 61 countries found that the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic led to significant disruptions in postnatal care, including increased mother-newborn separation, reduced breastfeeding support, and shorter hospital stays.

Full summary

1,142 CHARS

A mixed-methods cross-sectional study was conducted via a global online survey of 424 maternal and newborn healthcare providers from 61 countries. The survey, distributed in 11 languages, collected quantitative and qualitative data between July and December 2020 on changes to postnatal care (PNC) provision during the early COVID-19 pandemic. Key quantitative findings include that 26% of respondents reported routine separation of mothers with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 from their newborns, 40% in high-income countries reported reduced breastfeeding support, and nearly 60% reported that women were discharged earlier than usual. The study describes disruptions to the content and quality of PNC, such as bans on companions and visitors, with less commonly reported disruptions in service availability. Limitations include the non-representative sampling strategy and potential bias, as the data are not generalizable but provide an in-depth description of provider-reported situations. The findings imply that these disruptions may lead to negative long-term outcomes and underscore the imperative to protect essential PNC services.

STUDY TYPE

cross-sectional

SPECIALTY

obstetrics and gynecology

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

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ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10022345

“ Separated during the first hours ”—Postnatal care for women and newborns during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed-methods cross-sectional study from a global online survey of maternal and newborn healthcare providers

PLOS Global Public Health

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ABSTRACT

Routine postnatal care (PNC) allows monitoring, early detection and management of complications, and counselling to ensure immediate and long-term wellbeing of mothers and newborns; yet effective coverage is sub-optimal globally. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted availability and quality of maternal and newborn care despite established guidelines promoting continuity of essential services. We conducted a cross-sectional global online survey of 424 maternal and newborn healthcare providers from 61 countries, to explore PNC provision, availability, content and quality following the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The questionnaire (11 languages), included four multiple-choice and four open-text questions on changes to PNC during the pandemic. Quantitative and qualitative responses received between July and December 2020 were analysed separately and integrated during reporting. Tightened rules for visiting postpartum women were reported in health facilities, ranging from shorter visiting hours to banning supportive companions and visitors. A quarter (26%) of respondents reported that mothers suspected/confirmed with COVID-19 were routinely separated from their newborns. Early initiation of breastfeeding was delayed due to waiting for maternal SARS-CoV-2 test results. Reduced provision of breastfeeding support was reported by 40% of respondents in high-income countries and 7% in low-income countries. Almost 60% reported that women were discharged earlier than usual and 27% perceived a reduction in attendance to outpatient PNC. Telemedicine and home visits were mostly reported in high-income countries to ensure safe care provision. Beyond the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, severe disruptions to content and quality of PNC continued to exist, whereas disruptions in availability and use were less commonly reported. Depriving women of support, reducing availability of PNC services, and mother-newborn separation could lead to negative long-term outcomes for women, newborns and families, and deny their rights to respectful care. Protecting these essential services is imperative to promoting quality woman-centred PNC during and beyond the pandemic.

CITATION EXPORT

Aline Semaan, Teesta Dey, Amani Kikula et al.. “Separated during the first hours”—Postnatal care for women and newborns during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed-methods cross-sectional study from a global online survey of maternal and newborn healthcare providers. PLOS Global Public Health. (2022). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0000214

AUTHORS

13 · 7 CENTRES

Aline Semaan, Teesta Dey, Amani Kikula, Anteneh Asefa, Thérèse Delvaux, Etienne V. Langlois, Thomas van den Akker, Lenka Benova, Julia Robinson, Jenil Patel, Jenil Patel, Julia Robinson, Jenil Patel

1 Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
2 Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
3 Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Upanga-West, Dar es salaam, Tanzania
4 Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland
5 Faculty of Science, Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
6 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, UNITED STATES

EDITOR / REVIEWER

Jenil Patel