Blog & Articles

Updated: May 27, 2021

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, a highly transmissible virus that can be spread by asymptomatic people, requires providers to make innovative changes in how patients are seen and treated in the ambulatory setting. Prenatal care requires frequent face-to-face visits, so it is particularly challenged to adapt to protect patients, providers and office staff. Ultrasound testing and fetal monitoring usually also require in-office visits. However, innovations in care such as increased use of telemedicine and self-monitoring at home by patients are being implemented to change the norm for prenatal care. This article will discuss the innovations offices and patients can implement to provide safe, comprehensive prenatal care to pregnant patients with COVID-19.

[5 MIN READ]

Before the COVID pandemic, the medical community in general, and physicians in particular, were dealing with and continue to deal with a pandemic of its own: Burnout. In 2019, burnout was categorized as a disease by the WHO. It is characterized as:

“…a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”

There are 3 dimensions of burnout:

Updated: April 30, 2021

Pregnant women who have known or suspected COVID-19 infection need to be evaluated quickly to determine the severity of their symptoms and if they have risk factors that put them at risk for severe disease. New data on the outcomes for pregnant women have shown that pregnancy is a risk factor for increased severe mortality and morbidity; for example, respiratory distress requiring intubation and admission to ICU, maternal death, and obstetric complications such as preterm birth and stillbirth (Jama Intern Med 2021).

Seven percent of pregnant women who underwent testing for COVID-19 were found to be positive, with 75%-85% asymptomatic and 90% stable enough to be treated outpatient. Thus, most women diagnosed with this infection can be treated without hospitalization, but all known or suspected infected patients must be closely monitored.