The COVID-19 pandemic and disruptions in a district quality improvement initiative: Experiences from the CLEVER Maternity Care programme.
S Afr Fam Pract (2004)
; 64(1): e1-e12, 2022 03 30.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1780149
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Many health systems were poorly prepared for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and found it difficult to protect maternity and reproductive health services. The aim of the study was to explore the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ability of maternity healthcare providers to maintain the positive practices introduced by the CLEVER Maternity Care programme and to elicit information on their support needs.METHODS:
This multimethod study was conducted in midwife-led obstetric units (MOUs) and district hospitals in Tshwane District, South Africa and included a survey questionnaire and qualitative reports and reflections by the CLEVER implementation team. Two five-point Likert-scale items were supplemented by open-ended questions to provide suggestions on improving health systems and supporting healthcare workers.RESULTS:
Most of the 114 respondents were advanced midwives or registered nurses (86%). Participants from MOUs rated the maintenance of quality care practices significantly higher than those from district hospitals (p = 0.0130). There was a significant difference in perceptions of support from the district management between designations (p = 0.0037), with managers having the most positive perception compared with advanced midwives (p = 0.0018) and registered nurses (p = 0.0115). The interpretation framework had three main themes working environment and health-system readiness; quality of patient care and service provision; and healthcare workers' response to the pandemic. Health-facility readiness is described as proactive, reactive or lagging.CONCLUSION:
Lessons learned from this pandemic should be used to build responsive health systems that will enable primary healthcare workers to maintain quality patient care, services and communication.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
/
Maternal Health Services
/
Midwifery
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Qualitative research
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Pregnancy
Language:
English
Journal:
S Afr Fam Pract (2004)
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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