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Guidelines for Pregnancy Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Public Health Conundrum

Author

Listed:
  • Caroline Benski

    (Takemi Program in International Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
    Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Geneva University Hospital, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland)

  • Daria Di Filippo

    (School of Women’s and Children’s Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2031, Australia)

  • Gianmarco Taraschi

    (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Geneva University Hospital, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland)

  • Michael R. Reich

    (Takemi Program in International Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA)

Abstract

Pregnant women seem to be at risk for developing complications from COVID-19. Given the limited knowledge about the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy, management guidelines are fundamental. Our aim was to examine the obstetrics guidelines released from December 2019 to April 2020 to compare their recommendations and to assess how useful they could be to maternal health workers. We reviewed 11 guidelines on obstetrics management, assessing four domains: (1) timeliness: the time between the declaration of pandemics by WHO and a guideline release and update; (2) accessibility: the readiness to access a guideline by searching it on a common browser; (3) completeness: the amount of foundational topics covered; and (4) consistency: the agreement among different guidelines. In terms of timeliness, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) was the first organization to release their recommendation. Only four guidelines were accessible with one click, while only 6/11 guidelines covered more than 80% of the 30 foundational topics we identified. For consistency, the study highlights the existence of 10 points of conflict among the recommendations. The present research revealed a lack of uniformity and consistency, resulting in potentially challenging decisions for healthcare providers.

Suggested Citation

  • Caroline Benski & Daria Di Filippo & Gianmarco Taraschi & Michael R. Reich, 2020. "Guidelines for Pregnancy Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Public Health Conundrum," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-17, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:21:p:8277-:d:442156
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Paulina Malarkiewicz & Stanisław Maksymowicz & Maria Libura, 2022. "Mother’s Loneliness: Involuntary Separation of Pregnant Women in Maternity Care Settings and Its Effects on the Experience of Mothers during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-13, April.
    2. Zemenu Yohannes Kassa & Vanessa Scarf & Sabera Turkmani & Deborah Fox, 2024. "Impact of COVID-19 on Maternal Health Service Uptake and Perinatal Outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(9), pages 1-18, September.
    3. Aleksandra Wesołowska & Magdalena Orczyk-Pawiłowicz & Agnieszka Bzikowska-Jura & Małgorzata Gawrońska & Bartłomiej Walczak, 2022. "Protecting Breastfeeding during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review of Perinatal Care Recommendations in the Context of Maternal and Child Well-Being," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-26, March.
    4. Hyun-Bin Kim & Ah-Hyun Hyun, 2022. "Psychological and Biochemical Effects of an Online Pilates Intervention in Pregnant Women during COVID-19: A Randomized Pilot Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-12, September.
    5. Isadora Celine Rodrigues Carneiro & Sofia Galvão Feronato & Guilherme Ferreira Silveira & Alexandre Dias Porto Chiavegatto Filho & Hellen Geremias dos Santos, 2022. "Clusters of Pregnant Women with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Due to COVID-19: An Unsupervised Learning Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-13, October.

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