Impact of COVID-19 on Antenatal Care Utilization Among Pregnant Women in Qassim, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background and objectives Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected routine service delivery which might affect antenatal care (ANC) utilization among pregnant women. This study aimed to assess the proportion of missed appointments among pregnant women in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A facility-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among pregnant women admitted for delivery in Maternity and Children Hospital (MCH), Buraidah. Data were collected on socio-demographics, obstetric history, missed appointments and reasons for missing the appointment. Analysis was carried out in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 21.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Medians with interquartile range (IQR) were presented for continuous variables and frequency and proportions for categorical variables. Logistic regression was used to assess the factors associated with the missed appointment. Results A total of 400 women were included in the study. About one-third (30%) of the women had missed at least one ANC appointment in their current pregnancy. The most common reasons for missing the appointments in primary care and hospitals, respectively, were: fear of infection 52% and 47%, facility not working usual 25% and 7.5%, fear of infection to child 19% and 17%. Family size and gravidity were the significant factors associated with missed appointments in our study. Conclusions Nearly one-third of women missed their ANC appointments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Major reasons were related to COVID-19 fear and its effect on services. This calls for proper health communication in the general population and delivering routine care with evidence-based guidelines to maintain continuity of care.

Impact of Coronavirus Disease Pandemic on Antenatal Care Utilization among Primigravida Women in Asir Region, Saudi Arabia

“…However, another study conducted during the pandemic in Saudi Arabia has contradictory findings as the adherence of pregnant women to ANC visits during the pandemic was much lower than that of general data before the pandemic. Specifically, this study has found that 30.0% of mothers involved missed or delayed their ANC appointment during the COVID-19 pandemic period [19]. This finding can be attributed to that this study has been performed relatively early in the time (end of 2020) of the pandemic era.…”

“…In Saudi Arabia, the government applied prompt preventive measures against coronavirus disease 19 (COVID- 19). Saudi Arabia implemented policies of availability of personal protective equipment, stay-at-home, social distancing, and quality hospital care to the people [6,7].…”

Analisis Dampak Covid-19 terhadap Pelayanan Antenatal Care (ANC) : Literature Review

“…Antenatal care Utilization Among Pregnant Women in Qassim, Saudi Arabia. (Rabbani et al, 2021) Sekitar sepertiga (30%) wanita telah melewatkan setidaknya satu janji ANC dalam kehamilan mereka saat ini. Alasan paling umum untuk melewatkan janji ANC di fasilitas kesehatan primer dan rumah sakit, masing-masing, adalah: ketakutan akan infeksi 52% dan 47%, fasilitas tidak berfungsi seperti biasa 25% dan 7,5%, takut tertular pada anak 19% dan 17%.…”

“…Selanjutnya, wanita hamil didiagnosis dengan COVID-19 diminta untuk menunda kunjungan ANC sampai mereka sembuh. Akibatnya pertumbuhan dan perkembangan janin tidak terpantau dengan baik (15).…”

Health Promotion Behaviors of Pregnant Couples in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Actor-Partner Interdependence Model

“…Pregnant women faced difficulties in obtaining adequate antenatal care during the COVID-19 pandemic due to limited access to health care [ 14 , 15 ] and were reluctant to visit antenatal care due to fear of COVID-19 infection, resulting in a decrease in antenatal care visits [ 16 ]. Furthermore, pregnant women were concerned about their own and their babies’ health [ 17 ].…”