Comparison of Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes of Pregnant Women Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic at Khon Kaen Hospital
Keywords:
COVID-19, birth outcomes, pregnancy outcomesAbstract
This analytic study employed an unmatched case-control design to compare pregnancy and birth outcomes among women who delivered before and during the COVID-19 pandemic at Khon Kaen Hospital. Data were extracted from the maternity records of Khon Kaen Hospital. The sample was divided into two groups: 1) the control group was comprised of 2,550 women who gave birth before the COVID-19 pandemic with delivery dates recorded in the health register database between March 25, 2018 and March 25, 2020 and 2) the study group which was comprised of 2550 women who gave birth during the COVID-19 pandemic with delivery dates recorded between March 26, 2020 and July 1, 2022. Data collection utilized a checklist questionnaire addressing demographic characteristics, antenatal care, pregnancy, and delivery outcomes with a content validity index of 0.93. Binary logistic regression was employed to examine differences in outcomes between the groups.
The results revealed that women who delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic had a lower likelihood of experiencing preterm birth; however, they faced a higher prevalence of postpartum hemorrhage. The control group had fewer prenatal visits. Neonatal outcomes in the study group indicated a trend toward rate of low birth weight infants than control group, a reduced incidence of neonatal hypoxia, and fewer admissions to the neonatal intensive care unit. Nevertheless, neonatal-maternal separation occurred more frequently during the pandemic. These findings can be applied to improve maternal care systems, enhance monitoring obstetric complications, and prepare healthcare services for the management of future emerging diseases incidents.
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