Patient and Professional Experiences With Virtual Antenatal Clinics During the COVID-19 Pandemic in a UK Tertiary Obstetric Hospital: Questionnaire Study

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic required rapid implementation of virtual antenatal care to keep pregnant women safe. This transition from face-to-face usual care had to be embraced by patients and professionals alike. Objective We evaluated patients’ and professionals’ experiences with virtual antenatal clinic appointments during the COVID-19 pandemic to determine satisfaction and inquire into the safety and quality of care received. Methods A total of 148 women who attended a virtual antenatal clinic appointment at our UK tertiary obstetric care center over a 2-week period provided feedback (n=92, 62% response rate). A further 37 health care professionals (HCPs) delivering care in the virtual antenatal clinics participated in another questionnaire study (37/45, 82% response rate). Results We showed that women were highly satisfied with the virtual clinics, with 86% (127/148) rating their experience as good or very good, and this was not associated with any statistically significant differences in age (P=.23), ethnicity (P=.95), number of previous births (P=.65), or pregnancy losses (P=.94). Even though 56% (83/148) preferred face-to-face appointments, 44% (65/148) either expressed no preference or preferred virtual, and these preferences were not associated with significant differences in patient demographics. For HCPs, 67% (18/27) rated their experience of virtual clinics as good or very good, 78% (21/27) described their experience as the same or better than face-to-face clinics, 15% (4/27) preferred virtual clinics, and 44% (12/27) had no preference. Importantly, 67% (18/27) found it easy or very easy to adapt to virtual clinics. Over 90% of HCPs agreed virtual clinics should be implemented long-term. Conclusions Our study demonstrates high satisfaction with telephone antenatal clinics during the pandemic, which supports the transition toward widespread digitalization of antenatal care suited to 21st-century patients and professionals.

Evaluating the level of patient satisfaction with telehealth antenatal care during the COVID-19 pandemic at King Abdul-Aziz Medical City, Primary Health Care Center, Specialized Polyclinic

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has been an essential examination of the robustness of virtual care models applied in primary care. 18 – 21 …”

“…Several studies reported a high level of satisfaction with phone clinics by pregnant women. In the United Kingdom, the study by Quinn et al 21 reported that 86% rated their experience as good or very good. Liu et al 19 reported that women stated being very or extremely satisfied (27.9%) or moderately satisfied (43.5%) with their virtual prenatal experiences.…”

Schedule of Visits and Televisits for Routine Antenatal Care: A Systematic Review

“…Five studies (Madden 2020, provided qualitative data on televisits for routine antenatal care. [64][65][66][67][68] Four studies were based in the United States and one study was based in England.…”

“…Quinn 2021 sought to assess the experiences of patients and healthcare providers with virtual antenatal clinic appointments during the COVID-19 pandemic. 67 The study sent questionnaires with open-ended responses to 240 patients and 45 healthcare professionals (both clinical staff delivering virtual care and clerical staff organizing virtual care) in a tertiary obstetric unit in Leicester, England who experienced at least one virtual consultation. The patient and healthcare professional surveys had a 62% (148/240) and 82% (37/45) response rate, respectively.…”

Realist inquiry into Maternity care @ a Distance (ARM@DA): realist review protocol

“…One of the most commonly reported covid-related changes to all forms of service provision in maternity care has been an increase in the use of remote/virtual consultations using telephone or video 4 7 10–18. For example, one recent survey of all 194 obstetric units in England (42% response rate) found that 89% reported using digitally delivered consultation methods in antenatal care and 56.8% for postnatal care 7.…”