Experiences of health care providers on pregnancy and childbirth care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran: a phenomenological study

Abstract

Background Coronavirus currently cause a lot of pressure on the health system. Accordingly, many changes occurred in the way of providing health care, including pregnancy and childbirth care. To our knowledge, no studies on experiences of maternity care Providers during the COVID-19 Pandemic have been published in Iran. We aimed to discover their experiences on pregnancy and childbirth care during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This study was a qualitative research performed with a descriptive phenomenological approach. The used sampling method was purposive sampling by taking the maximum variation possible into account, which continued until data saturation. Accordingly, in-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted by including 12 participants, as 4 gynecologists, 6 midwives working in the hospitals and private offices, and 2 midwives working in the health centers. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven stage method with MAXQDA10 software. Results Data analysis led to the extraction of 3 themes, 9 categories, and 25 subcategories. The themes were as follows: “Fear of Disease”, “Burnout”, and “Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic”, respectively. Conclusions Maternal health care providers experience emotional and psychological stress and work challenges during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, comprehensive support should be provided for the protection of their physical and mental health statuses. By working as a team, utilizing the capacity of telemedicine to care and follow up mothers, and providing maternity care at home, some emerged challenges to maternal care services can be overcome.

Implementation of Public Health England infection prevention and control guidance in maternity units in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Findings about Infrastructure and Resources , specifically PPE availability , are aligned with other studies where deficiencies in PPE were described as compromising patients’ and healthcare professionals’ safety in Iran [ 7 ], Europe [ 8 ] and worldwide [ 6 ]. The subtheme of IT compatibility was also identified as part of the Infrastructure and Resources theme.…”

“…Participants expressed feelings of confusion related to not being able to keep up with the frequent changes to the guidelines. Hantoushzadeh et al (2021) [ 7 ] conducted interviews with 12 maternity healthcare workers (eight midwives, four gynaecologists) to explore their experiences of providing pregnancy and childbirth care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. These participants also reported feeling confused and fearful due to the unknown nature of the disease and the frequent guidance updates.…”

Factors affecting the mental health of pregnant women using UK maternity services during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative interview study

“…Participants in our research described the psychosocial impact of restricted interactions with maternity care staff because of the pandemic, including staff being prevented from delivering “hands-on” care around their new-born babies. When significant practice changes such as these are implemented as they have been during the COVID-19 pandemic, [ 42 ] midwives and other maternity care professionals could be at risk of moral injury from having to uphold changes in care that conflict with their ethical values [ 49 , 50 ]. Additionally, participants in this study described feeling a lack of connection between themselves and their midwives due to social distancing requirements, which is important because this can prevent feelings of mutual trust and empowerment [ 51 ].…”

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternity services in Europe: a mixed methods systematic review protocol

“… 10 , 11 On an individual level, maternity HCPs have been concerned about contracting and transmitting the disease, burnout, loneliness, and a shift in their work-life balance. 12 , 13 …”