Experiences of Midwestern obstetric clinicians during the Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemicAJOG Global Reports at a Glance

Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to healthcare system changes aimed at minimizing disease transmission that impacted experiences with obstetric healthcare. Objective: To explore experiences of clinicians providing obstetric care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study Des...

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Main Authors: Drishti D. Sinha, MD, MPHS, Megan Foeller, MD, Abigail S. Bell, BA, Anthony J. Nixon, Jr., MPH, Darrell Hudson, PhD, MPH, Aimee S. James, PhD, MPH, Amy R. Scheffer, Ana A. Baumann, PhD, Emily Diveley, RN, Ebony B. Carter, MD, MPH, Nandini Raghuraman, MD, MSCI, Indira U. Mysorekar, PhD, Jeannie C. Kelly, MD, MS
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-11-01
Series:AJOG Global Reports
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666577824000868
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author Drishti D. Sinha, MD, MPHS
Megan Foeller, MD
Abigail S. Bell, BA
Anthony J. Nixon, Jr., MPH
Darrell Hudson, PhD, MPH
Aimee S. James, PhD, MPH
Amy R. Scheffer
Ana A. Baumann, PhD
Emily Diveley, RN
Ebony B. Carter, MD, MPH
Nandini Raghuraman, MD, MSCI
Indira U. Mysorekar, PhD
Jeannie C. Kelly, MD, MS
author_facet Drishti D. Sinha, MD, MPHS
Megan Foeller, MD
Abigail S. Bell, BA
Anthony J. Nixon, Jr., MPH
Darrell Hudson, PhD, MPH
Aimee S. James, PhD, MPH
Amy R. Scheffer
Ana A. Baumann, PhD
Emily Diveley, RN
Ebony B. Carter, MD, MPH
Nandini Raghuraman, MD, MSCI
Indira U. Mysorekar, PhD
Jeannie C. Kelly, MD, MS
author_sort Drishti D. Sinha, MD, MPHS
collection DOAJ
description Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to healthcare system changes aimed at minimizing disease transmission that impacted experiences with obstetric healthcare. Objective: To explore experiences of clinicians providing obstetric care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study Design: Qualitative, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five nurse practitioners and 16 obstetrical physicians providing a mix of outpatient and inpatient obstetric care during the COVID-19 pandemic in a mid-sized, Midwestern city in the United States. Interviews elucidated challenges and facilitators of obstetric care provision and vaccination of pregnant patients against COVID-19 during the pandemic. Transcripts were coded inductively then deductively using the Health Equity Implementation Framework (HEIF), which integrates a disparities framework and implementation framework to highlight multilevel factors that influence obstetric care. Thematic analysis was conducted, and thematic saturation was reached. Results: We interviewed 21 clinicians. Clinicians recounted personal challenges such as social isolation and burnout that could be countered by social support. Challenges within the clinical encounter included implementation of infection mitigation efforts, vaccine counseling, and limitations of telehealth. However, when successfully implemented, telehealth facilitated care and circumvented barriers. Clinicians cited challenges at the healthcare system level such as rapidly evolving knowledge and recommendations, restrictive visitor policies, personnel shortage, and inadequate institutional resources to support pandemic-related stressors. However, interdisciplinary care and guidelines available for clinicians facilitated care. Clinicians reported that challenges at the societal level included financial strain, lack of childcare, medical mistrust, politicization of medicine, misinformation, and racism. Societal-level facilitators included insurance access, community outreach, positive policy changes, and fostering trust in medicine. Conclusion: The pandemic produced unique stressors and exacerbated existing challenges for clinicians providing obstetric care. Applying the HEIF to the findings emphasizes the influence of societal factors on all other levels. Identified facilitators can inform interventions to address stressors in obstetric care that have resulted from the changed sociopolitical landscape of the pandemic.
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spelling doaj-art-86bcee1f900e42beb37e7676c5ed7ed72025-08-20T02:35:47ZengElsevierAJOG Global Reports2666-57782024-11-014410039210.1016/j.xagr.2024.100392Experiences of Midwestern obstetric clinicians during the Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemicAJOG Global Reports at a GlanceDrishti D. Sinha, MD, MPHS0Megan Foeller, MD1Abigail S. Bell, BA2Anthony J. Nixon, Jr., MPH3Darrell Hudson, PhD, MPH4Aimee S. James, PhD, MPH5Amy R. Scheffer6Ana A. Baumann, PhD7Emily Diveley, RN8Ebony B. Carter, MD, MPH9Nandini Raghuraman, MD, MSCI10Indira U. Mysorekar, PhD11Jeannie C. Kelly, MD, MS12Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (Sinha, Bell, and Mysorekar); Corresponding author: Drishti D. Sinha, MD, MPHS.Saint Alphonsus Health System, Boise, ID (Foeller)Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (Sinha, Bell, and Mysorekar)Brown School, Washington University, St. Louis, MO (Nixon and Hudson)Brown School, Washington University, St. Louis, MO (Nixon and Hudson)Department of Surgery, Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (James and Baumann)Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of OB/GYN Clinical Research, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (Scheffer and Diveley)Department of Surgery, Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (James and Baumann)Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of OB/GYN Clinical Research, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (Scheffer and Diveley)Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Ultrasound, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (Carter, Raghuraman, and Kelly)Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Ultrasound, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (Carter, Raghuraman, and Kelly)Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (Sinha, Bell, and Mysorekar); Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX (Mysorekar); Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX (Mysorekar)Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Ultrasound, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (Carter, Raghuraman, and Kelly)Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to healthcare system changes aimed at minimizing disease transmission that impacted experiences with obstetric healthcare. Objective: To explore experiences of clinicians providing obstetric care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study Design: Qualitative, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five nurse practitioners and 16 obstetrical physicians providing a mix of outpatient and inpatient obstetric care during the COVID-19 pandemic in a mid-sized, Midwestern city in the United States. Interviews elucidated challenges and facilitators of obstetric care provision and vaccination of pregnant patients against COVID-19 during the pandemic. Transcripts were coded inductively then deductively using the Health Equity Implementation Framework (HEIF), which integrates a disparities framework and implementation framework to highlight multilevel factors that influence obstetric care. Thematic analysis was conducted, and thematic saturation was reached. Results: We interviewed 21 clinicians. Clinicians recounted personal challenges such as social isolation and burnout that could be countered by social support. Challenges within the clinical encounter included implementation of infection mitigation efforts, vaccine counseling, and limitations of telehealth. However, when successfully implemented, telehealth facilitated care and circumvented barriers. Clinicians cited challenges at the healthcare system level such as rapidly evolving knowledge and recommendations, restrictive visitor policies, personnel shortage, and inadequate institutional resources to support pandemic-related stressors. However, interdisciplinary care and guidelines available for clinicians facilitated care. Clinicians reported that challenges at the societal level included financial strain, lack of childcare, medical mistrust, politicization of medicine, misinformation, and racism. Societal-level facilitators included insurance access, community outreach, positive policy changes, and fostering trust in medicine. Conclusion: The pandemic produced unique stressors and exacerbated existing challenges for clinicians providing obstetric care. Applying the HEIF to the findings emphasizes the influence of societal factors on all other levels. Identified facilitators can inform interventions to address stressors in obstetric care that have resulted from the changed sociopolitical landscape of the pandemic.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666577824000868challengesCOVID-19 vaccinationfacilitatorshealth equitymisinformationmistrust
spellingShingle Drishti D. Sinha, MD, MPHS
Megan Foeller, MD
Abigail S. Bell, BA
Anthony J. Nixon, Jr., MPH
Darrell Hudson, PhD, MPH
Aimee S. James, PhD, MPH
Amy R. Scheffer
Ana A. Baumann, PhD
Emily Diveley, RN
Ebony B. Carter, MD, MPH
Nandini Raghuraman, MD, MSCI
Indira U. Mysorekar, PhD
Jeannie C. Kelly, MD, MS
Experiences of Midwestern obstetric clinicians during the Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemicAJOG Global Reports at a Glance
AJOG Global Reports
challenges
COVID-19 vaccination
facilitators
health equity
misinformation
mistrust
title Experiences of Midwestern obstetric clinicians during the Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemicAJOG Global Reports at a Glance
title_full Experiences of Midwestern obstetric clinicians during the Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemicAJOG Global Reports at a Glance
title_fullStr Experiences of Midwestern obstetric clinicians during the Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemicAJOG Global Reports at a Glance
title_full_unstemmed Experiences of Midwestern obstetric clinicians during the Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemicAJOG Global Reports at a Glance
title_short Experiences of Midwestern obstetric clinicians during the Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemicAJOG Global Reports at a Glance
title_sort experiences of midwestern obstetric clinicians during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemicajog global reports at a glance
topic challenges
COVID-19 vaccination
facilitators
health equity
misinformation
mistrust
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666577824000868
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