Virtual clinic in pregnancy and postpartum healthcare: A systematic review.

ABSTRACT

Background and Aims: To monitor the health status of pregnant women moment by moment, new technologies in the field of telemedicine can be used, such as virtual visits and virtual clinics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, by using these technologies, useful and satisfactory services have been provided to pregnant mothers. The aim of this study is to specify the applications, features, and infrastructure of a comprehensive virtual clinic in the field of gynecological and pregnancy care. Methods: A systematic review search was conducted through the scientific databases from February 2013 to February 2022 using Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed. Furthermore, manual searches in Google Scholar and the reference lists of included studies were carried out. Results: In this systematic review we included 16 articles that reported experiences in virtual clinics in pregnancy and postpartum healthcare. The involved studies were experimental, cohort, and cross-sectional studies. The target group users were pregnant or women who gave birth and families of neonatal. The application of virtual clinics was for the visit, consultation, monitoring, follow-up, and home care virtually. Highly satisfaction scores of caregivers after virtual visits and consultation were reported. There were some challenges during virtual visits and consultation; the most important challenge was a poor internet connection. Conclusion: The reviewed studies show promising outcomes according to patient and provider satisfaction. We predict that telehealth will become a growingly significant part of gynecological care in the future.