New research: In a global survey, over 85% of neonatal healthcare providers feared for their own health due to COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted health systems worldwide. It has also taken a heavy toll on the health and wellbeing of maternity health professionals around the world.
In a global survey of 1120 neonatal healthcare providers, more than 85% of health personnel feared for their own health and 89% had increased stress from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study was published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Global Health.
The study:
Rao S.P.N. et al. (March 2021) collected data from 1120 neonatal healthcare providers from 62 countries (mainly low and middle-income countries)
The responses included information on COVID-19 preparedness, effects on health personnel
and on newborn care services
including kangaroo mother care (KMC).
The results:
In terms of the impacy of COVID-!9 on health personnel:
- Preparedness for COVID-19 was suboptimal in terms of guidelines and availability of personal protective equipment.
- Around 1/3 reported routine testing of all pregnant women
- 13% had no testing capacity at all
- More than 85% of health personnel feared for their own health
- 89% had increased stress.
In terms of the care of infants:
- More than half reported that evidence-based interventions such as KMC were discontinued or discouraged.
- Separation of the mother-baby dyad was reported for both COVID-positive mothers (50%) and those with unknown status (16%).
- Follow-up care was disrupted
primarily due to families' fear of visiting hospitals (~73%).
Conclusions:
To quote from the paper: "Newborn care providers are stressed and there is lack clarity and
guidelines regarding care of small newborns during the pandemic. There
is an urgent need to protect life-saving interventions, such as KMC,
threatened by the pandemic, and to be ready to recover and build back
better.
"
If you are a neonatal healthcare provider, is this your experience too?
Did you feel more stressed? Or did you fear for your own health due to COVID-19?
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Articles and research links:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33716220/
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