Health-related quality of life and quality of care in pregnant and postnatal women during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cohort study.

Alaya, Fátimah; Worrall, Amy P; O'toole, Fiona; Doyle, Jillian; Duffy, Richard M; Geary, Michael P

OBJECTIVE Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and the delivery of high quality care are ongoing concerns when caring for pregnant women in the COVID-19 pandemic. We compared self-reported HRQoL and hospital quality of care (QoC) among perinatal women with and without COVID-19 infection. METHODS This is a prospective cohort study of perinatal women attending a tertiary maternity unit during the pandemic. 18 women who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and 20 SARS-CoV-2-negative women were recruited. Participants completed the Short Form (SF-12), Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) and Quality from the Patient's Perspective (QPP) questionnaires. Mean scores were compared. RESULTS 95% of the Non-COVID cohort were Caucasian, while 67% of the COVID-19 cohort were not Caucasian (x2 =16.01, p<0.0001). The mean SF-12 for physical health in the COVID cohort had significantly lower scores (p<0.0002). There was no difference in mental health and wellbeing between cohorts. The QoC experienced was notably similar and very positive. CONCLUSION There was a significantly greater burden on physical health among pregnant women with COVID-19 infection. Mental health and psychological status were similar in both groups. High quality of care during a pandemic is possible to deliver in a maternity setting, irrespective of COVID status.