Perceptions on susceptibility to exposure to the COVID-19 virus: A qualitative study on pregnant and non-pregnant adult women, their partners, and healthcare workers in Metro Manila

Introduction@#The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that special populations are more susceptible to the COVID-19 virus. There is little information on whether COVID-19 affects women of reproductive age and their fertility, pregnancy status, and offspring give: We aimed to assess the knowledge, practices, and perceptions (KPP) on the risk and susceptibility to COVID-19 of women of reproductive age. @*Methods@#We conducted a qualitative exploratory descriptive study using the triangulation method. The study consisted of in-depth interviews (IDIs) with women of reproductive age and their spouses, focus group discussions (FGDs), and key informant interviews (KIIs) with health care professionals (HCP) in University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital. We assessed KPP using structured, open-ended interview guides. Interview responses were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and thematic analysis was performed using NVivo 12. @*Results@#Eighty participants, 20 women of reproductive age, 20 spouses, 20 non-pregnant women, and 20 HCPs in UP-PGH were included in the study. All participants were knowledgeable about COVID-19. Pregnant women would consult their physicians when they felt symptoms related to COVID-19. Spouses of pregnant women and non-pregnant women observed health measures to prevent the spread of the virus. Both pregnant and non-pregnant patients with COVID-19 felt shamed and stigmatized while the husbands worried that the exposure to the infection will pose a burden to their families. HCWs provided services through teleconsultation and found it challenging to refer patients to other facilities. @*Conclusion@#The study provided insights on KPP of women with reproductive-age to COVID-19 and views of HCWs in providing care to these patients during the pandemic. The effects of COVID-19 are still detrimental and highly evident from the micro to the macro level.

The curious case of CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region): Healthcare workers are key to improving maternal health outcomes

Introduction@#Understaffed and underfunded Rural Health Units (RHUs) in Luzon struggle to provide Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (BEmONC) services, resulting in high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality. The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) is different. Despite limited BEmONC-capable facilities, the region has maintained excellent maternal health outcomes. @*Objectives@#This study describes the status of BEmONC-capable RHUs in CAR and how these relate to the maternal and child health outcomes in the region. @*Methods@#This study uses the BEmONC Survey Toolkit to determine facility functionality based on the three categories of institutional capacity, service capacity, and personnel capacity. Focused Group Discussions were conducted to gather insights from community members, health personnel, and local stakeholders. @*Results@#The study evaluated 31 facilities; only one was adequately functional. The service capacity of BEmONC RHUs in CAR (7.19) was significantly lower than that of Luzon (14.16). The overall functionality score of CAR (58.10) was also slightly lower compared to that of Luzon (60.42). Yet CAR still had some of the best outcomes in terms of maternal and child health. Maternal mortality from 2000 (23 deaths) to 2018 (13 deaths) was consistently low. @*Conclusion@#The case of CAR reiterates the importance of having health personnel on the ground, maintaining the trust of the populace for health promotion to increase health awareness, and timely intervention in difficult situations. These directly impact health service delivery and improve health outcomes.

Mothers’ perspectives on utilization of maternal health services in Rural Health Units in Luzon: A qualitative study

Introduction@#Despite implementing various maternal health care programs and integrating these into Service Delivery Networks, the Philippines continues to have high maternal mortality. Identifying factors that impede the utilization of available maternal care services may help reduce maternal morbidity and mortality and bridge the gap between the need and actual use of such services among mothers in the community. @*Objectives@#This study identified barriers, hindrances, and other factors influencing mothers in availing maternal health services in Luzon, the largest island in the country and the area that accounted for more than half of total maternal mortality. @*Methods@#Eight focus group discussions participated in by a total of 78 pregnant women and mothers were conducted across all of the eight regions of Luzon. In each session, the participants were asked to answer questions based on a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were recorded, translated and back-translated, transcribed, and compiled before analysis by the deductive-dominant approach using NVivo12. @*Results@#Factors affecting maternal health service utilization center on the capacity of health facilities to provide services like evaluation of the progress of pregnancy, laboratory examinations, free medicines, and immunizations; and on region-bound individual factors. The availability of skilled health personnel and lack of financial resources were the most common subthemes. @*Conclusion@#This study identified some key factors that deter patients from availing of existing maternal health services in Luzon. Eliminating these barriers will not only help strengthen local health infrastructure and improve service delivery but also promote the utilization of such services, leading to better maternal outcomes.