Ensuring Racial Equity in Pregnancy Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond
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Authors
Ojo, Ayotomiwa
Beckman, Adam L.
Weiseth, Amber
Shah, Neel
Issue Date
2021-06-28
Type
Article
Language
en_US
Keywords
Health Equity , COVID-19 , Telemedicine , Labor Support , Pregnancy Care
Alternative Title
Abstract
Background:
The COVID-19 pandemic provoked sweeping changes in practice to care for pregnant and birthing people, and highlighted inequities that threaten to exacerbate racial disparities in maternal outcomes. Moreover, social distancing measures have made it harder for pregnant people to access support.
Assessment:
Prioritizing widespread access to COVID-19 testing and vaccination for pregnant people is critical to ensuring they receive safe and equitable care. Transparency in reporting outcomes including race and pregnancy status is key. Expanding telemedicine services to provide mental healthcare and labor support is necessary to maintain access to critical social networks. Additionally, resources must be allocated to pregnant people with complex social needs and are the most vulnerable.
Conclusion:
Policy centered on maintaining equity and agency in the care of pregnant people is imperative now and should continue as the standard moving forward to narrow racial disparities in maternal health outcomes.
Description
This article is made available via the PMC Open Access Subset for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.
Citation
Ojo, A., Beckman, A. L., Weiseth, A., & Shah, N. (2022). Ensuring Racial Equity in Pregnancy Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond. Maternal and child health journal, 26(4), 747–750. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-021-03194-4
Publisher
Maternal and Child Health Journal