ABSTRACT
Background: In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, there have been rapid and radical changes to the way maternity care in Australia has been provided. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of receiving or providing maternity care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020. Methods: A two-phased cross-sectional study was launched in April - June 2020 and recruited n = 4323 participants from the five key stakeholder cohorts of women, their partners, midwives, doctors and midwifery students in Australia. Results: Findings revealed numerous changes to maternity care in response to the pandemic, which impacted consumers and providers of care in differing and similar ways. Each cohort revealed the changes that had impacted them negatively but also those that had improved care received or provided;offering strategies for continuing to improve and innovate maternity care into the future. Conclusion: A critical discussion around the urgent need for maternity reform in Australia will be provided within the context of what has been learned through the rapid changes necessitated because of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Delegates will be provided with a critique of the current maternity sector challenges alongside evidence of what consumers and providers of maternity care have indicated would improve current and future maternity care. Consideration of the models, settings and modalities of care and how these might be reformed to meet the needs of contemporary families and health care workers will be provided.
ABSTRACT
Background: Vaccination against COVID-19 is a key global public health strategy. Health professionals including midwives and doctors support and influence vaccination uptake by childbearing women. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions and intentions regarding COVID-19 vaccination from consumers and providers of maternity care in Australia. Methods: A national cross-sectional online study conducted in May 2021 in Australia. Recruitment was undertaken through parenting and health professional social media sites and professional college distribution lists. A total of 853 completed responses were received, from women of childbearing age (n = 326), doctors (n = 58), midwives (n = 391) and midwifery students (n = 78). Results: Early on in the 2021 national COVID-19 vaccination roll-out, personal intention to be vaccinated ranged from 48-89%, with doctors most likely and women least likely. Doctors and midwifery students were significantly more likely to recommend the vaccine to pregnant women in their care than midwives (p < 0.001). More than half of the midwives (53%) had concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine for the women in their care compared with 35% of doctors and 46% of midwifery students. Conclusion: This is the first study to explore the perceptions and intentions regarding COVID-19 vaccination from both the perspective of those who receive and those who provide maternity care in Australia. Findings have utility to support targeted public health messaging for these and other cohorts. Critical discussion will reveal contemporary insights from the evidence to enhance the important public health role of midwives and doctors in national maternity vaccination programs.