Project Details
Description
This project aims to analyse and compare the impact of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on antenatal care (ANC) provision in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, South Africa and Ghana.
The COVID-19 public health emergency has affected care provision at different levels across the globe, as healthcare systems faced the sudden surge of new health needs while requiring radically new ways to organise and guarantee care delivery. Attending antenatal check-ups is essential for pregnant women regardless of contingent situations and, unlike other types of care, ANC cannot be postponed. Nonetheless, ANC provision too has suffered COVID-19-induced disruptions, with devastating maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) consequences. Different measures have been put in place across countries to ensure the continuity of care to expectant mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic, depending on pre-existing ANC provision models, the context-specific MNCH challenges, and socio-cultural and socio-economic characteristics of the target populations. Yet, little is known about the coping strategies implemented by different countries and their ultimate impact on ANC provision.
By addressing the knowledge gap highlighted above, this project will adopt a socio-ecological approach to examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on ANC delivery in the Global North (UK, NL) and Global South (SA, GH).
The COVID-19 public health emergency has affected care provision at different levels across the globe, as healthcare systems faced the sudden surge of new health needs while requiring radically new ways to organise and guarantee care delivery. Attending antenatal check-ups is essential for pregnant women regardless of contingent situations and, unlike other types of care, ANC cannot be postponed. Nonetheless, ANC provision too has suffered COVID-19-induced disruptions, with devastating maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) consequences. Different measures have been put in place across countries to ensure the continuity of care to expectant mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic, depending on pre-existing ANC provision models, the context-specific MNCH challenges, and socio-cultural and socio-economic characteristics of the target populations. Yet, little is known about the coping strategies implemented by different countries and their ultimate impact on ANC provision.
By addressing the knowledge gap highlighted above, this project will adopt a socio-ecological approach to examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on ANC delivery in the Global North (UK, NL) and Global South (SA, GH).
| Status | Finished |
|---|---|
| Effective start/end date | 19/05/21 → 28/02/22 |