@Article{info:doi/10.2196/25549,
author="Quinn, Lauren Marie
and Olajide, Oluwafumbi
and Green, Marsha
and Sayed, Hazem
and Ansar, Humera",
title="Patient and Professional Experiences With Virtual Antenatal Clinics During the COVID-19 Pandemic in a UK Tertiary Obstetric Hospital: Questionnaire Study",
journal="J Med Internet Res",
year="2021",
month="Aug",
day="31",
volume="23",
number="8",
pages="e25549",
keywords="antenatal; virtual clinic; technology; COVID-19; United Kingdom; pandemic; feasibility; effective; telehealth; virtual health",
abstract="Background: The COVID-19 pandemic required rapid implementation of virtual antenatal care to keep pregnant women safe. This transition from face-to-face usual care had to be embraced by patients and professionals alike. Objective: We evaluated patients' and professionals' experiences with virtual antenatal clinic appointments during the COVID-19 pandemic to determine satisfaction and inquire into the safety and quality of care received. Methods: A total of 148 women who attended a virtual antenatal clinic appointment at our UK tertiary obstetric care center over a 2-week period provided feedback (n=92, 62{\%} response rate). A further 37 health care professionals (HCPs) delivering care in the virtual antenatal clinics participated in another questionnaire study (37/45, 82{\%} response rate). Results: We showed that women were highly satisfied with the virtual clinics, with 86{\%} (127/148) rating their experience as good or very good, and this was not associated with any statistically significant differences in age (P=.23), ethnicity (P=.95), number of previous births (P=.65), or pregnancy losses (P=.94). Even though 56{\%} (83/148) preferred face-to-face appointments, 44{\%} (65/148) either expressed no preference or preferred virtual, and these preferences were not associated with significant differences in patient demographics. For HCPs, 67{\%} (18/27) rated their experience of virtual clinics as good or very good, 78{\%} (21/27) described their experience as the same or better than face-to-face clinics, 15{\%} (4/27) preferred virtual clinics, and 44{\%} (12/27) had no preference. Importantly, 67{\%} (18/27) found it easy or very easy to adapt to virtual clinics. Over 90{\%} of HCPs agreed virtual clinics should be implemented long-term. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates high satisfaction with telephone antenatal clinics during the pandemic, which supports the transition toward widespread digitalization of antenatal care suited to 21st-century patients and professionals. ",
issn="1438-8871",
doi="10.2196/25549",
url="https://www.jmir.org/2021/8/e25549",
url="https://doi.org/10.2196/25549",
url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34254940"
}