A qualitative study exploring healthcare workers’ lived experiences of the impacts of COVID-19 policies and guidelines on maternal and reproductive healthcare services in the United Kingdom

Jonathan Chaloner, Irtiza Qureshi, Mayuri Gogoi, Winifred Ekezie, Amani Al-Oraibi, Fatimah Wobi, Joy O. Agbonmwandolor, Laura B. Nellums, manish Pareek

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Introduction:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, pregnant women were regarded as vulnerable to poor health outcomes if infected with the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus. To protect the United Kingdom’s (UK) National Health Service (NHS) and pregnant patients, strict infection control policies and regulations were implemented. This study aimed to understand the impact of the COVID-19 policies and guidelines on maternal and reproductive health services during the pandemic from the experiences of healthcare workers (HCWs) caring for these patients.

Methods:
This qualitative study involved HCWs from the United Kingdom Research study into Ethnicity and COVID-19 outcomes in Healthcare workers (UK-REACH) project. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted online or by telephone with 44 diverse HCWs. Transcripts were thematically analyzed following Braun and Clarke’s principles of qualitative analysis.

Results:
Three key themes were identified during analysis. First, infection control policies impacted appointment availability, resulting in many cancellations and delays to treatment. Telemedicine was also used extensively to reduce risks from face-to-face consultations, disadvantaging patients from minoritized ethnicities. Secondly, staff shortages and redeployments reduced availability of consultations, appointments, and sonography scans. Finally, staff and patients reported challenges accessing timely, reliable and accurate information and guidance.

Conclusions:
COVID-19 demonstrated how a global health crisis can impact maternal and reproductive health services, leading to reduced service quality and surgical delays due to staff redeployment policies. Our findings underscore the implications of policy and future health crises preparedness. This includes tailored infection control policies, addressing elective surgery backlogs early and improved dissemination of relevant vaccine information.
Original languageEnglish
Article number30
Number of pages7
JournalEuropean Journal of Midwifery
Volume7
Issue numberNovember
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Nov 2023

Bibliographical note

© 2023 Chaloner J. et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • vaccine hesitancy
  • healthcare workers
  • redeployment
  • policies and guidelines
  • infection controls

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