Healthcare visits and threat of an infection with coronavirus in being pregnant

According to a recent study, frequent personal health care visits are not a major risk factor for getting coronavirus infection during pregnancy.

One of the top concerns emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic is the avoidance of critical medical care by patients. This is of particular concern in obstetric patients who require regular personal exams and scans to ensure the well-being of both mother and child.

In a study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers in Massachusetts looked at the association between the number of personal health visits and coronavirus infection during pregnancy. The study was conducted in Massachusetts in Spring 2020 due to the high rate of COVID-19 cases in Boston.

The study included 2,968 obstetric patients due to be delivered between April and June 2020 at all four hospitals in the Boston, Massachusetts area. All patients were tested for coronavirus infection during pregnancy and at the time of admission to delivery. The study took into account the ethnicity, type of insurance, and COVID-19 infection rate in the patient's zip code. The data were also adjusted for the age, body mass index (BMI) and occupation of the key worker.

The study reported no significant association between personal care and the risk of coronavirus infection. A total of 111 out of 2,968 patients in the study tested positive for the virus at some point during pregnancy. The average number of visits in patients who tested positive was 3.1 compared to 3.3 in those who tested negative.

The results of the study suggest that important in-person health care visits can be done safely because the infection in this study did not appear to correlate with health care settings.

Dr. Sharon Reale, who led the research, said, “A major concern in obstetrics, but also in general practice, is that patients avoid the necessary medical care because they fear they will develop COVID-19 in the healthcare system, but there has been no evidence that personal health care affects the risk of infection. "

This was an important study in reducing anxiety among patients who fear attending in-person hospital appointments due to the potential risk of infection. Dr. Reale added, "The results need to be replicated outside of obstetrics. However, this should be reassuring and indicate that necessary and important care should be taken and done safely."

Written by Albina Babu, MSc

References:

Reale, S.C., et al. (2020). Relationship between the number of personal visits to the health care system and SARS-CoV-2 infection in obstetric patients. JAMA.

In pregnant patients, the number of clinic visits is not linked to the risk of developing COVID-19 (2020). Retrieved from: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-08/bawh-fpp081420.php

Image by Bokskapet from Pixabay

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