‘Never waste a crisis’: a commentary on the COVID‐19 pandemic as a driver for innovation in maternity care

Berg, Lauri M. M. van den; Thomson, Gill; Jonge, Ank de; Balaam, M‐C; Moncrieff, Gill; Topalidou, Anastasia; Downe, Soo; Ellison, George T. H.; Fenton, Alan; Heazell, Alexander; Kingdon, Carol; Matthews, Zoë; Severns, Alexandra; Wright, Alison; Akooji, Naseerah; Cull, Jo; Crossland, Nicola; Feeley, Claire; Franso, Beata; Heys, Steph; Nowland, Rebecca; Sarian, Arni; Booker, Maria; Sandall, Jane; Thornton, Jim; Lynskey‐Wilkie, Tisian; Wilson, Vanessa C.L.C.; Abe, Rebecca; Awe, Tinuke; Adeyinka, Toyin; Bender‐Atik, Ruth; Brigante, Lia; Brione, Rebecca; Cadée, Franka; Duff, Elizabeth; Fisher, Duncan; Susana, Francis, Annie and Chekani,; Franx, Arie; Frith, Lucy; Griew, Louise; Harmer, Clea; Homer, Caroline; Knight, Marian; Lokugamage, Amali; Mansfield, Amanda; Marlow, Neil; Mcaree, Trixie; Monteith, David; Reed, Keith A.; richens, Yana; Rocca‐Ihenacho, Lucia; Ross‐Davie, Mary; S, Talbot; Taylor, M. J. O.; Treadwell, Maureen

doi:10.1111/1471-0528.16996

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…2. Similarly, initiatives to promote staff wellbeing during the pandemic should be continued to alleviate burnout [72] and help to mitigate high sonographer attrition from obstetric services specifically of the NHS workforce in general in response to the pandemic [71]. As sonographers are central to parental experiences of pregnancy scans, promoting, offering training about, and practicing parent-centred care that is inclusive of fathers and partners as birth companions rather than visitors [52] may also contribute to improved satisfaction and perception of care, and enhanced prenatal bonding in the future.…”

Section: Recommendations For Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on UK parent experiences of pregnancy ultrasound scans and parent-fetal bonding: A mixed methods analysis

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction Companionship in antenatal care is important for facilitating positive parental experiences. During the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions on partner attendance at fetal ultrasound scans were introduced nationally to minimise transmission of the virus. This study aimed to explore the effect of these restrictions on maternal and paternal experiences of pregnancy scans and evaluate their potential effect on parent-fetal bonding. Methods A UK-wide, anonymous cross-sectional survey was completed by new and expectant parents (n = 714) who had, or were awaiting a pregnancy scan during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CORE-10 and an adapted version of the Prenatal Attachment Inventory were used to evaluate psychological distress and prenatal bonding. Additional survey questions captured parental experiences of scans. Separate statistical and thematic analyses of the data were undertaken. A joint display matrix was used to facilitate integration of quantitative and qualitative claims to generate a comprehensive interpretation of study findings. Findings When fathers did not attend the scan, feelings of excitement and satisfaction were significantly reduced (p<0.001) and feelings of anxiety increased (p<0.001) in both parents. Mothers were concerned about receiving unexpected news alone and fathers felt excluded from the scan. Mean paternal bonding (38.22, SD 10.73) was significantly lower compared to mothers (47.01, SD 7.67) although no difference was demonstrated between those who had attended the scan and those who had not. CORE-10 scores suggested low-to-mild levels of psychological distress, although the mean difference between mothers and fathers was not significant. Key themes described both parents’ sense of loss for their desired pregnancy scan experience and reflected on sonographers’ central role in providing parent-centred care during scans. Conclusion Restrictions on partner attendance at scans during the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative effect on parental experiences of antenatal imaging. Provision of parent-centred care, which is inclusive of partners, is essential for improved parental experiences.

show abstract

Section: Recommendations For Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on UK parent experiences of pregnancy ultrasound scans and parent-fetal bonding: A mixed methods analysis

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This echoes similar findings of the preponderance of situated and structural resilience in lieu of systemic resilience [ 41 ]. The adoption threshold for existing digital health solutions and faster communication (digital meetings) appeared lower, suggesting that chaotic and urgently challenging situations like the Covid-19 pandemic could open people up to novel solutions that had previously been met with resistance, such as digital meetings and digital care, when they were viewed in the context of overcoming constraints [ 41 – 43 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Building resilience: analysis of health care leaders’ perspectives on the Covid-19 response in Region Stockholm

Savage,

Tragl,

Castillo

et al. 2024

BMC Health Serv Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background The Covid-19 pandemic has tested health care organizations worldwide. Responses have demonstrated great variation and Sweden has been an outlier in terms of both strategy and how it was enacted, making it an interesting case for further study. The aim of this study was to explore how health care leaders experienced the challenges and responses that emerged during the initial wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, and to analyze these experiences through an organizational resilience lens. Methods A qualitative interview study with 12 senior staff members who worked directly with or supervised pandemic efforts. Transcripts were analyzed using traditional content analysis and the codes directed to the Integrated Resilience Attributes Framework to understand what contributed to or hindered organizational resilience, i.e. how organizations achieve their goals by utilizing existing resources during crises. Results/Findings Organizational resilience was found at the micro (situated) and meso (structural) system levels as individuals and organizations dealt with acute shortages and were forced to rapidly adapt through individual sacrifices, resource management, process management, and communications and relational capacity. Poor systemic resilience related to misaligned responses and a lack of learning from previous experiences, negatively impacted the anticipatory phase and placed greater pressure on individuals and organizations to respond. Conventional crisis leadership could hamper innovation, further cement chronic challenges, and generate a moral tension between centralized directives and clinical microsystem experiences. Conclusions The pandemic tested the resilience of the health care system, placing undue pressure on micro and meso systems responses. With improved learning capabilities, some of this pressure may be mitigated as it could raise the anticipatory resilience potential, i.e. with better health systems learning, we may need fewer heroes. How crisis leadership could better align decision-making with frontline needs and temper short-term acute needs with a longer-term infinite mindset is worth further study.

show abstract

“…Ultimately, staff conceded that the service and they themselves were not prepared for this type of health system shock, or for the sustained level of added precarity it brought with it. The prolonged and cumulative effect of endemic precarity, and the un(der)‐prepared service, and the health system shock was occasionally seen as a chance to innovate and transform, 38 albeit usually with a top‐down or “command and control” style approach, which was not always appraised positively. Furthermore, innovation has often been reported as a proxy term for the reality of time being spent on paring back services and delivering only essential care causing poorer outcomes for women, their families, and their babies; 2,39–44 and demoralizing staff who did not believe they were providing the level of care they ought to and were trained to deliver.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Precarity and preparedness during the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic: A qualitative service evaluation of maternity healthcare professionals

Backer

Brown

Easter

et al. 2022

Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction The SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic has devastated populations, posing unprecedented challenges for healthcare services, staff and service‐users. In the UK, rapid reconfiguration of maternity healthcare service provision changed the landscape of antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care. This study aimed to explore the experiences of maternity services staff who provided maternity care during the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic to inform future improvements in care. Material and methods A qualitative interview service evaluation was undertaken at a single maternity service in an NHS Trust, South London. Respondents ( n = 29) were recruited using a critical case purposeful sample of maternity services staff. Interviews were conducted using video‐conferencing software, and were transcribed and analyzed using Grounded Theory Analysis appropriate for cross‐disciplinary health research. The focus of analysis was on staff experiences of delivering maternity services and care during the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic. Results A theory of “Precarity and Preparedness” was developed, comprising three main emergent themes: “Endemic precarity: A health system under pressure”; “A top‐down approach to managing the health system shock”; and “From un(der)‐prepared to future flourishing”. Conclusions Maternity services in the UK were under significant strain and were inherently precarious. This was exacerbated by the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic, which saw further disruption to service provision, fragmentation of care and pre‐existing staff shortages. Positive changes are required to improve staff retention and team cohesion, and ensure patient‐centered care remains at the heart of maternity care.

show abstract

‘Never waste a crisis’: a commentary on the COVID‐19 pandemic as a driver for innovation in maternity care

Cited by 12 publications

References 12 publications

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on UK parent experiences of pregnancy ultrasound scans and parent-fetal bonding: A mixed methods analysis

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on UK parent experiences of pregnancy ultrasound scans and parent-fetal bonding: A mixed methods analysis

Building resilience: analysis of health care leaders’ perspectives on the Covid-19 response in Region Stockholm

Precarity and preparedness during the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic: A qualitative service evaluation of maternity healthcare professionals

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About