Barriers to maternal health services during the Ebola outbreak in three West African countries: a literature review

Yerger, Piper; Jalloh, Mohamed F.; Coltart, Cordelia E M; King, Carina

doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002974

Cited by 42 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 47 publications

(111 reference statements)

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“…It is clear that pregnant individuals and babies have been subjected to harm during the pandemic, and the onus is on the academic community, health-care providers, and policy-makers to learn from it. Women's health-care is often adversely affected in humanitarian disasters 63 and our findings highlight the central importance of planning for robust maternity services in any emergency response.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and perinatal outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Chmielewska

Barratt

Townsend

et al. 2021

The Lancet Global Health

802

820

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Background The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on health-care systems and potentially on pregnancy outcomes, but no systematic synthesis of evidence of this effect has been undertaken. We aimed to assess the collective evidence on the effects on maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes of the pandemic. Methods We did a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on the effects of the pandemic on maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes. We searched MEDLINE and Embase in accordance with PRISMA guidelines, from Jan 1, 2020, to Jan 8, 2021, for case-control studies, cohort studies, and brief reports comparing maternal and perinatal mortality, maternal morbidity, pregnancy complications, and intrapartum and neonatal outcomes before and during the pandemic. We also planned to record any additional maternal and offspring outcomes identified. Studies of solely SARS-CoV-2-infected pregnant individuals, as well as case reports, studies without comparison groups, narrative or systematic literature reviews, preprints, and studies reporting on overlapping populations were excluded. Quantitative meta-analysis was done for an outcome when more than one study presented relevant data. Random-effects estimate of the pooled odds ratio (OR) of each outcome were generated with use of the Mantel-Haenszel method. This review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020211753). Findings The search identified 3592 citations, of which 40 studies were included. We identified significant increases in stillbirth (pooled OR 1·28 [95% CI 1·07–1·54]; I 2 =63%; 12 studies, 168 295 pregnancies during and 198 993 before the pandemic) and maternal death (1·37 [1·22–1·53; I 2 =0%, two studies [both from low-income and middle-income countries], 1 237 018 and 2 224 859 pregnancies) during versus before the pandemic. Preterm births before 37 weeks' gestation were not significantly changed overall (0·94 [0·87–1·02]; I 2 =75%; 15 studies, 170 640 and 656 423 pregnancies) but were decreased in high-income countries (0·91 [0·84–0·99]; I 2 =63%; 12 studies, 159 987 and 635 118 pregnancies), where spontaneous preterm birth was also decreased (0·81 [0·67–0·97]; two studies, 4204 and 6818 pregnancies). Mean Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale scores were higher, indicating poorer mental health, during versus before the pandemic (pooled mean difference 0·42 [95% CI 0·02–0·81; three studies, 2330 and 6517 pregnancies). Surgically managed ectopic pregnancies were increased during the pandemic (OR 5·81 [2·16–15·6]; I 2 =26%; three studies, 37 and 272 pregnancies). No overall significant effects were identified for other outcomes included in the quantitative analysis: maternal gestational diabetes; hypertensive disorders of pregnancy; preterm birth before 34 weeks', 32 weeks',...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and perinatal outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Chmielewska

Barratt

Townsend

et al. 2021

The Lancet Global Health

802

820

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“…4,5 As children are at low-risk of infection or severe disease from COVID-19, [6][7][8][9][10] any impacts on their health outcomes will likely be attributable to the indirect effects of the pandemic on health systems, as in previous disease outbreaks. 11,12 These include increased rates of parental unemployment, food and housing insecurity, and reduced access to routine care. 13,14 The NeoTree application (app) is an Android tablet-based quality improvement platform that aims to reduce neonatal mortality in LMICs.…”

Section: List Of Abbreviationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Prevalence of neonatal encephalopathyAt SMCH, the mean (SD) percentage of admitted neonates diagnosed with NE was 16(6)% in the pre-COVID-19 period and 21(12)% in the post-COVID-19 period suggesting a possible increase. Regression analysis showed no statistically significant change in the percentage of neonates diagnosed with NE post-COVID-19 (RR 1•08; 95%CI 0•76-1•55; p = 0•67) (Figure5A).…”

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confidence: 99%

Indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic at two tertiary neonatal units in Zimbabwe and Malawi: an interrupted time series analysis

Chimhuya

Neal

Chimhini

et al. 2021

Preprint

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BackgroundDeaths from COVID-19 have exceeded 1.8 million globally (January 2020). We examined trends in markers of neonatal care before and during the pandemic at two tertiary neonatal units in Zimbabwe and Malawi.MethodsWe analysed data collected prospectively via the NeoTree app at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital (SMCH), Zimbabwe, and Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH), Malawi. Neonates admitted from 1 June 2019 to 25 September 2020 were included. We modelled the impact of the first cases of COVID-19 (Zimbabwe: 20 March 2020; Malawi: 3 April 2020) on number of admissions, gestational age and birth weight, source of admission referrals, prevalence of neonatal encephalopathy, and overall mortality.FindingsThe study included 3,450 neonates at SMCH and 3,350 neonates at KCH. Admission numbers at SMCH did not initially change after the first case of COVID-19 but fell by 48% during a nurses’ strike (Relative risk (RR) 0·52, 95%CI 0·40-0·68, p < 0·002). At KCH, admissions dropped by 42% (RR 0·58; 95%CI 0·48-0·70; p < 0·001) soon after the first case of COVID-19. At KCH, gestational age and birth weight decreased slightly (1 week, 300 grams), outside referrals dropped by 28%, and there was a slight weekly increase in mortality. No changes in these outcomes were found at SMCH.InterpretationThe indirect impacts of COVID-19 are context-specific. While this study provides vital evidence to inform health providers and policy makers, national data are required to ascertain the true impacts of the pandemic on newborn health.FundingInternational Child Health Group, Wellcome Trust.RESEARCH IN CONTEXTEvidence before this studyWe searched PubMed for evidence of the indirect impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on neonatal care in low-income settings using the search terms neonat*ornewborn, andCOVID-19orSARS-CoV 2orcoronavirus, and the Cochrane low and middle income country (LMIC) filters, with no language limits between 01.10.2019 and 21.11.20. While there has been a decrease in global neonatal mortality rates, the smaller improvements seen in low-income settings are threatened by the direct and indirect impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. A modelling study of this threat predicted between 250000-1.1 million extra neonatal deaths as a result of decreased service provision and access in LMICs. A webinar and survey of frontline maternal/newborn healthcare workers in >60 countries reported a decline in both service attendance and in quality of service across the ante-, peri- and post-natal journey. Reporting fear of attending services, and difficulty in access, and a decrease in service quality due to exacerbation of existing service weaknesses, confusion over guidelines and understaffing. Similar findings were reported in a survey of healthcare workers providing childhood and maternal vaccines in LMICs. One study to date has reported data from Nepal describing an increase in stillbirths and neonatal deaths, with institutional deliveries nearly halved during lockdown.Added value of this studyTo our knowledge, this is the first and only study in Sub-Saharan Africa describing the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on health service access and outcomes for newborns in two countries. We analysed data from the digital quality improvement and data collection tool, the NeoTree, to carry out an interrupted time series analysis of newborn admission rates, gestational age, birth weight, diagnosis of hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy and mortality from two large hospitals in Malawi and Zimbabwe (n∼7000 babies). We found that the indirect impacts of COVID-19 were context-specific. In Sally Mugabe Central Hospital, Zimbabwe, initial resilience was demonstrated in that there was no evidence of change in mortality, birth weight or gestational age. In comparison, at Kamuzu Central Hospital, Malawi, soon after the first case of COVID-19, the data revealed a fall in admissions (by 42%), gestational age (1 week), birth weight (300 grams), and outside referrals (by 28%), and there was a slight weekly increase in mortality (2%). In the Zimbabwean hospital, admission numbers did not initially change after the first case of COVID-19 but fell by 48% during a nurses’ strike, which in itself was in response to challenges exacerbated by the pandemic.Implications of all the available evidenceOur data confirms the reports from frontline healthcare workers of a perceived decline in neonatal service access and provision in LMICs. Digital routine healthcare data capture enabled rapid profiling of indirect impacts of COVID-19 on newborn care and outcomes in two tertiary referral hospitals, Malawi and Zimbabwe. While a decrease in service access was seen in both countries, the impacts on care provided and outcome differed by national context. Health systems strengthening, for example digital data capture, may assist in planning context-specific mitigation efforts.

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“…In addition to misinterpretations of local and national 'stay at home guidance', these factors may have impacted on the maternity care provided to mothers during pregnancy and the postpartum period [9]. A similar effect was seen during the Ebola epidemic in West Africa [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global changes in maternity care provision during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis

et al. 2021

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Barriers to maternal health services during the Ebola outbreak in three West African countries: a literature review

Cited by 42 publications

References 47 publications

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and perinatal outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and perinatal outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic at two tertiary neonatal units in Zimbabwe and Malawi: an interrupted time series analysis

Global changes in maternity care provision during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis

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