Basnet Bidhya, Chapagain Pratiksha, Subedi Sabitra, Dahal Tulasha, Neupane Saraswati, Khanal Ranjita, Pinder Richard J, Lucero-Prisno Don Eliseo, Sundar Budhathoki Shyam
Maternal Health Nursing Department, Biratnagar Nursing Campus, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Biratnagar, Nepal.
Department of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
PLOS Glob Public Health. 2022 May 5;2(5):e0000322. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000322. eCollection 2022.
Maternity service providers have struggled to provide high-quality services to women and newborns during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which has substantially impacted health systems and disrupted maternity services globally. Nepal is a resources-limited country that reported a significant impact of the pandemic on maternal health services. It is therefore important to understand better the perspective of health care professionals in this context. This study intends to explore the experiences of nurses providing maternity care in the public sector during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal. A qualitative study using a phenomenological design was conducted. Altogether ten nurses working in maternity services were selected using purposive sampling technique. Data were collected by face-to-face in-depth interviews using a semi-structured interview guide. Thematic analysis was conducted using Clarke and Braun 2006 technique. The findings of the study were organized into codes, sub-themes and themes. The six themes identified were fear of COVID-19 at work, challenges at work, changes at work and services, motivations to work, stigma due to COVID-19, and impact on services. Participants described how maternity services could not be stopped during the pandemic. They had experienced decreased utilization of antenatal services as a consequence of 'lockdown' thereby leading to an increase in maternal and neonatal mortality. Respondents reported ineffective human resource management compromising the quality of care. The professional responsibility to cope with adverse circumstances and serve society is a major source of motivation that health workers relied upon to get them through the pandemic period. A wide range of challenges were faced by service providers during the pandemic which requires action and support of all levels of government, institutions and society-at-large to assure the continued provision of safe maternity care during such a protracted period of challenging work.
在持续的新冠疫情期间，孕产妇服务提供者一直在努力为妇女和新生儿提供高质量服务，这场疫情对全球卫生系统造成了重大影响，并扰乱了孕产妇服务。尼泊尔是一个资源有限的国家，报告称疫情对孕产妇保健服务产生了重大影响。因此，在这种背景下，更好地了解医护人员的观点非常重要。本研究旨在探讨尼泊尔新冠疫情期间公共部门提供孕产妇护理的护士的经历。采用现象学设计进行了一项定性研究。使用目的抽样技术共挑选了10名从事孕产妇服务工作的护士。通过使用半结构化访谈指南进行面对面深入访谈来收集数据。使用克拉克和布劳恩2006年的技术进行主题分析。研究结果被组织成代码、子主题和主题。确定的六个主题是工作时对新冠病毒的恐惧、工作中的挑战、工作和服务的变化、工作动机、因新冠病毒产生的污名以及对服务的影响。参与者描述了疫情期间孕产妇服务如何无法停止。由于“封锁”，她们经历了产前服务利用率的下降，从而导致孕产妇和新生儿死亡率上升。受访者报告称人力资源管理无效，影响了护理质量。应对不利情况并服务社会的职业责任感是卫生工作者在疫情期间赖以度过难关的主要动力来源。疫情期间服务提供者面临着广泛的挑战，这需要各级政府、机构和整个社会采取行动并提供支持，以确保在如此漫长的充满挑战的工作期间持续提供安全的孕产妇护理。
