Implementation of Online Antenatal Classes and Education of First-Time Mothers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Experience of a Tertiary University Hospital in Nothern Greece

Abstract

Introduction:The COVID-19 pandemic and measures taken worldwide to ensure public health have limited pregnant women's ability to attend antenatal childbirth education classes within traditional structures. Methods: The program of online antenatal classes in a Tertiary University Hospital in Greece and preliminary results of the participants' assessment. Results: Two hundred forty-eight primiparas pregnant women participated in the program of online antenatal classes. Each lesson comprised theoretical and practical components, culminating in allocated time for open discourse at its conclusion. Out of 248 participants, 160 completed the program's online evaluation form. The vast majority of respondents rated the four dimensions of the program as a) planning and technical support, b) content, c) trainers, and d) fulfilment of participants' expectations as "Very good/ Excellent. Additionally, 56 participants responded to an open-ended question, expressing gratitude, feedback about the instructors, and sharing their experiences and emotions throughout the program. Conclusions:The participants highly received and assessed online antenatal classes, and the midwives acknowledged the possibilities of online antenatal education in the post-COVID era.