Quality of maternal and newborn care in Switzerland during the <scp>COVID</scp>‐19 pandemic: A cross‐sectional study based on <scp>WHO</scp> quality standards

Labrusse, Claire de; Abderhalden-Zellweger, Alessia; Mariani, Ilaria; Pfund, Anouck; Gemperle, Michael; Grylka‐Baeschlin, Susanne; Mueller, Antonia N.; Valente, Emanuelle Pessa; Covi, Benedetta; Lazzerini, Marzia; Ćerimagić, Amira; Drandić, Daniela; Kurbanović, Magdalena; Rozée, Virginie; Rochebrochard, Élise de La; Löfgren, Kristina; Miani, Céline; Batram‐Zantvoort, Stephanie; Wandschneider, Lisa; Mariani, Ilaria; Morano, Sandra; Chertok, Ilana R. Azulay; Hefer, Emek; Artzi‐Medvedik, Rada; Pumpure, Elizabete; Rezeberga, Dace; Jansone‐Šantare, Gita; Jakovicka, Dārta; Knoka, Anna Regīna; Vilcāne, Katrīna Paula; Liepinaitienė, Alina; Kondrakova, Andželika; Mizgaitienė, Marija; Juciūtė, Simona; Arendt, Maryse; Tasch, Barbara; Nedberg, Ingvild Hersoug; Kongslien, Sigrun; Vik, Eline Skirnisdottir; Baranowska, Barbara; Tataj‐Puzyna, Urszula; Węgrzynowska, Maria; Costa, Raquel; Barata, Catarina; Santos, Teresa; Rodrigues, Carina; Dias, Heloísa; Oțelea, Marina Ruxandra; Radetić, Jelena; Ružičić, Jovana; Drglin, Zalka; Ponikvar, Barbara Mihevc; Bohinec, Anja; Brigidi, Serena; Castañeda, Lara Martín; Elden, Helen; Sengpiel, Verena; Lindén, Karolina; Zaigham, Mehreen; Abderhalden, Alessia; Thorn, Harriet; Grylka, Susanne

doi:10.1002/ijgo.14456

Cited by 6 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…The IMAgiNE EURO surveys show high levels of medicalization throughout Europe, especially cesarean, instrumental births, and application of fundal pressure 1–10 . This is also coupled with lack of informed consent, lack of support for initiation and continuation of breastfeeding, and lack of respect and dignity for birthing women.…”

Section: White Ribbon Alliance (Wra)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is also coupled with lack of informed consent, lack of support for initiation and continuation of breastfeeding, and lack of respect and dignity for birthing women. The results were even worse for women who were not from the majority population—young, immigrant, or from linguistic minorities 9,10 . With the increase in medicalization, including cesarean and instrumental vaginal birth (IVB), women reported feeling that they were treated with less dignity and respect 1 .…”

Section: White Ribbon Alliance (Wra)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, no country, no health system, nor the World Health Organization, to say nothing of our hospitals, was prepared for what 2020–2022 brought us. The articles in this Supplement 1–10 . chronicle the risk of pregnancy during COVID‐19, particularly the vulnerability of women giving birth during a pandemic.…”

Section: Figomentioning

confidence: 99%

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Perspectives of professionals and human rights associations on the IMAgiNE EURO study

Conry

Kumar-Hazard²,

Rubashkin³

et al. 2022

Intl J Gynecology & Obste

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The year 2020 will be remembered around the globe as the time when our lives, our health systems, and our worlds turned on end.Warnings about the risks of pandemics, especially the lack of preparedness for a pandemic, had circulated since the emergence of MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). However, no country, no health system, nor the World Health Organization, to say nothing of our hospitals, was prepared for what 2020-2022 brought us. The articles in this Supplement. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] chronicle the risk of pregnancy during COVID-19, particularly the vulnerability of women giving birth during a pandemic.Globally, we now understand the serious vulnerability and risk of complications women face when they develop COVID-19 during pregnancy, from the risk of stillbirth and placentitis, to the risks of respiratory distress, need for intensive care, and for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in pregnancy. [11][12][13] We also now appreciate, two years after the pandemic, the importance of vaccination and disinformation. However, the articles in this Supplement take us back to the beginning-when the care for a mother and family came secondary to the fear of COVID-19-and provide a maternal perspective on the quality of care delivered.The articles originate from a multicountry survey on maternal and newborn health service preparedness, quality, and resilience during the pandemic, and they help us to understand the choices made.Choices that sacrificed communication, shared decision-making, and respect. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the health and well-being of populations. Pregnancy places women at

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Section: White Ribbon Alliance (Wra)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: White Ribbon Alliance (Wra)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Perspectives of professionals and human rights associations on the IMAgiNE EURO study

Conry

Kumar-Hazard²,

Rubashkin³

et al. 2022

Intl J Gynecology & Obste

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“…Since 2020, the IMAgiNE EURO study, based on the WHO Standards for improving Quality of Maternal and Newborn Care (QMNC) [26], has been documenting QMNC during the COVID-19 pandemic in the European Region. Several studies resulting from this international project reported limitations in the QMNC provided during the COVID-19 pandemic [27][28][29][30]. Quantitative data from the IMAgiNE EURO study among 1′175 women who gave birth in Switzerland from March 2020 to February 2022, indicate that about 28% of women reported limitations in the QMNC during the pandemic [27].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women’s experiences of disrespect and abuse in Swiss facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative analysis of an open-ended question in the IMAgiNE EURO study

Abderhalden-Zellweger,

de Labrusse,

Gemperle

et al. 2024

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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Background The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the provision of maternal care. The IMAgiNE EURO study investigates the Quality of Maternal and Newborn Care during the pandemic in over 20 countries, including Switzerland. Aim This study aims to understand women’s experiences of disrespect and abuse in Swiss health facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Data were collected via an anonymous online survey on REDCap®. Women who gave birth between March 2020 and March 2022 and answered an open-ended question in the IMAgiNE EURO questionnaire were included in the study. A qualitative thematic analysis of the women’s comments was conducted using the International Confederation of Midwives’ RESPECT toolkit as a framework for analysis. Findings The data source for this study consisted of 199 comments provided by women in response to the open-ended question in the IMAgiNE EURO questionnaire. Analysis of these comments revealed clear patterns of disrespect and abuse in health facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. These patterns include non-consensual care, with disregard for women’s choices and birth preferences; undignified care, characterised by disrespectful attitudes and a lack of empathy from healthcare professionals; and feelings of abandonment and neglect, including denial of companionship during childbirth and separation from newborns. Insufficient organisational and human resources in health facilities were identified as contributing factors to disrespectful care. Empathic relationships with healthcare professionals were reported to be the cornerstone of positive experiences. Discussion Swiss healthcare facilities showed shortcomings related to disrespect and abuse in maternal care. The pandemic context may have brought new challenges that compromised certain aspects of respectful care. The COVID-19 crisis also acted as a magnifying glass, potentially revealing and exacerbating pre-existing gaps and structural weaknesses within the healthcare system, including understaffing. Conclusions These findings should guide advocacy efforts, urging policy makers and health facilities to allocate adequate resources to ensure respectful and high-quality maternal care during pandemics and beyond.

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“…Both TLTL and TMTS are costly for health systems and can be dangerous for women and newborns ((3–5). In addition, the literature indicates that women, both in low- and high-income countries (HICs) are often not adequately informed and are minimally involved in decision-making prior to conducting these interventions during childbirth ((5–8). Also, other aspects of experience of care such as privacy, quality of communication, respect and dignity have been described as substandard both in low and HICs (9,10).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality of Care at childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings of the IMAgiNE EURO study in Belgium

Galle,

D’Hauwers,

Berghman

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Objectives To examine quality of maternal and newborn care (QMNC) around childbirth in facilities in Belgium during the COVID-19 pandemic and trends over time. Design A cross-sectional observational study. Setting Data of the IMAgiNE EURO study in Belgium. Participants Women giving birth in a Belgian facility from March 1, 2020, to May 1, 2023, responded a validated online questionnaire based on 40 WHO standards-based quality measures organised in four domains: provision of care, experience of care, availability of resources, and organizational changes related to COVID 19. Primary and secondary outcome measures Quantile regression analysis was performed to assess predictors of QMNC; trends over time were tested with the Mann Kendall test. Results 897 women were included in the analysis, 67%(n=601) with spontaneous vaginal birth, 13.3%(n=119) with instrumental vaginal birth and 19.7%(n=177) with cesarean section. We found high QMNC scores but also specific gaps in all domains of QMNC. On provision of care, 21.0%(n=166) of women who experienced labor and 14.7%(n=26) of women with a cesarean reported inadequate pain relief; 64.7%(n=74) of women with an instrumental birth reported fundal pressure and 72.3% (n=86) reported that forceps or vacuum cup was used without their consent. On experience of care, 31.1%(n=279) reported unclear communication, 32.9%(n=295) reported that they were not involved in choices,11.5%(n=104) stated not being treated with dignity and 8.1%(n=73) experienced abuse. Related to resources, almost half of the women reported an inadequate number of healthcare professionals (46.2%, n=414). The multivariable analyses showed significantly lower QMNC scores for women with an instrumental vaginal birth. Over time there was a significant increase in QMNC score for experience of care and key organizational changes due to COVID-19. Conclusions and relevance Although overall QMNC scores were high, findings also suggest gaps in QMNC. Underlying causes of these gaps should be explored to design appropriate interventions and policies.

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Quality of maternal and newborn care in Switzerland during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A cross‐sectional study based on WHO quality standards

Cited by 6 publications

References 32 publications

Perspectives of professionals and human rights associations on the IMAgiNE EURO study

Perspectives of professionals and human rights associations on the IMAgiNE EURO study

Women’s experiences of disrespect and abuse in Swiss facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative analysis of an open-ended question in the IMAgiNE EURO study

Quality of Care at childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings of the IMAgiNE EURO study in Belgium

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