Identification of obstetric risks in COVID-19 times in a community health area, Ecuador

ABSTRACT

Introduction: risk factors associated with complications in the mother-child pair include history of hypertensive disorders, adolescent pregnancy, drug use, unfavorable obstetric history with a background of miscarriages or abortions, sexually transmitted diseases and urinary tract infections. Background: to identify the obstetric risk in times of COVID-19 pandemic at the "Bastion Popular" health area, Guayaquil, Ecuador, from January to June 2021. Method: a descriptive-transversal field research was carried out, with a quantitative approach, which favored the analysis of the obstetric risk categories recorded in the medical history of 117 pregnant women, who signed an informed consent, for the collection of data through home visits, using the obstetric risk scale or score. Results: outcomes assessment showed, as main result, that the most frequent obstetric risk group was the age group 20 to 24 and the high risk factor was the main category identified. Obstetric risk increased proportionally when the interpregnancy interval was reduce. Conclusions: young women between 20 and 24 years of age are those who presented the highest obstetric risk, which is correlate with a higher number of gestations, abortions, deliveries and cesarean sections. Therefore, it is necessary to provide women with information about pregnancy and its complications, so that they are able to identify risk factors during pregnancy, delivery and the puerperium.