Abstract
Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious viral infection. Hospitals worldwide have decreased face-to-face visits to reduce the exposure to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Prenatal and postpartum care are essential for the health of women and their fetuses. Therefore, many hospitals have incorporated telehealth into their protocols.
Objectives: The aim of this review was to determine how health care organizations are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by incorporating telehealth visits into their protocols for obstetrics care, what services were converted to telehealth, and its benefits and barriers.
Method: A computerized literature search was performed using PubMed and Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases using terms, including "telehealth," "virtual visits," "obstetric," "pregnancy," "postpartum," and "COVID-19" for articles published before October 2020. Peer reviewed articles and guidelines were included in this review.
Results: A total of 25 articles were identified. Fifteen articles reported protocols. During this pandemic, protocols developed replaced some in-person visits with telehealth visits, when no testing or vaccinations are required. The main reported benefits were minimizing exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and the continuity to provide high-quality and safe care. Lack of access to high-speed internet and hardware and inaccessibility to patients were the most reported barriers.
Conclusion: Telehealth provided the opportunity for reducing in-person visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some prenatal services could be completely provided through telehealth and others require medical equipment to be delivered. Health care organizations recognized that using telehealth could be continued beyond this pandemic, as they provided many benefits for patients, medical staff, and the organizations themselves.