The impact of COVID-19 on the provision of respectful maternity care: Findings from a global survey of health workers

Abstract

Background: Significant adjustments to maternity care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the direct impacts of COVID-19 can compromise the quality of maternal and newborn care. Aim: To explore how the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected frontline health workers’ ability to provide respectful maternity care globally. Methods: We conducted a global online survey of health workers to assess the provision of maternal and newborn healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. We collected qualitative data between July and December 2020 among a subset of respondents and conducted a qualitative content analysis to explore open-ended responses. Findings: Health workers (n = 1127) from 71 countries..