Experiences of postnatal contraceptive care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multimethods cross-sectional study

Objectives
This study aimed to examine the impact of the first COVID-19 lockdown period on access to postnatal contraception (PNC) and wider postnatal care and to explore the experiences of PNC care within the North East and North Cumbria (NENC) Integrated Care System (ICS) during the same period.

Design
This study reports a subanalysis of the NENC Postnatal Contraception (PoCo) study, an online survey of a convenience sample of women in the NENC ICS who completed pregnancies between 2019 and 2023.

Setting
Women who completed pregnancies between 2019 and 2023 in the NENC ICS.

Participants
Out of the total 2509 eligible participants who completed the PoCo survey, women who delivered in April–June 2020, April–June 2021 and April–June 2022 were included within this subanalysis, resulting in 457 eligible survey responses. There were no additional exclusion criteria.

Primary and secondary outcome measures
Primary outcome measures were PNC uptake and number of healthcare professional contacts during the postnatal period. Secondary outcome measures were self-reported experiences of PNC care.

Results
Women who delivered in April–June 2020 had fewer postnatal contacts than women who delivered in subsequent non-lockdown cohorts and were less likely to be offered PNC prior to discharge. There were no significant differences in relation to PNC uptake. In qualitative analyses, several women who delivered in 2020 highlighted COVID-19 as a factor perceived to be associated with poor postnatal care. Across all three groups, experiences of PNC care were diverse; feeling pressured to accept PNC was frequently reported.

Conclusions
While the first COVID-19 lockdown appears to have had a significant impact on women’s experiences of postnatal care, this did not result in a substantive decrease in PNC provision, likely reflecting pre-existing shortcomings. These women and families may benefit from additional support postpandemic to mitigate the potential life course implications of restricted support in the postpartum period, and policy-makers and healthcare providers should continue to explore innovative and patient-centred approaches to improving PNC provision. Future research should continue to evaluate the longer-term impacts of these changes in non-pandemic contexts.

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Evaluating the efficacy and acceptability of a digital-based management system for diabetes during pregnancy: protocol for an observational cohort study

Introduction
Diabetes during pregnancy poses significant health risks for both mothers and their offspring and requires comprehensive management throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period. The increasing global prevalence of diabetes during pregnancy requires effective and efficient management. The current healthcare system can be challenging because of need for frequent hospital visits and limited availability of gestational diabetes (GDM) specialists.
This study investigates the impact of a digital-based management system designed to support women with diabetes from pregnancy through the first year post partum. This system includes a mobile application (MomStart) that allows users to log health data, receive tailored educational content and communicate with healthcare providers. The primary objective of this study is to compare pregnancy outcomes with historical data. We will also investigate the usability of the MomStart application.

Methods and analysis
The study will enrol over 100 pregnant women with diabetes from two hospitals in South Korea for the main study and an additional 500 women from across the country for a supplementary usability study. Data will be collected and analysed to assess neonatal and maternal outcomes and the app’s retention and satisfaction rates.

Ethics and dissemination
The protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Catholic University of Korea (XC23OIDI0012). We will present our findings in a national conference and in peer-reviewed medical journals.

Clinical study registration number
This study was registered in Korea’s Clinical Research Information Service system (KCT0008483).

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Effectiveness of postpartum care to improve womens health and quality of life in Southeast Asia: a scoping review protocol

Introduction
The first 3 months post partum is a critical transition period for women and families, which is characterised by physical, psychological and social adaptation. The first year post partum is also a critical phase for women’s health, given their physical recovery and adjustment to motherhood. The WHO 2023 recommendations highlight the importance of a postnatal care focus, including maternal health assessment, mental health support, nutritional interventions, postpartum contraceptive use and home care visits. This scoping review aims to map the evidence of the effectiveness of postpartum care on women’s health and quality of life in the Southeast Asia region.

Methods and analysis
This scoping review will be guided by the methodological principles developed by Arksey and O’Malley. This review will also consider observational studies, including cohort studies, case-control studies and cross-sectional studies. For inclusion, studies should be selected for eligibility based on the following criteria: articles investigating the uptake of postpartum women (women who have had childbirth up to 42 days after delivery) in Southeast Asian countries. The search will comprise peer-reviewed articles from 2013 to 2023 from the following electronic databases: PubMed/MEDLINE, ProQuest, EBSCO, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. We use both keywords in the title and/or abstract and subject headings as appropriate. We will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) Protocols to develop the protocol and use the PRISMA flow diagram to present the results for scoping reviews.

Ethics and dissemination
A scoping review is a novel approach for examining the breadth of literature regarding the connection between the effectiveness of postpartum care and women’s health and quality of life and, as a secondary analysis, does not require ethics approval. The results of this review will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at relevant conferences.

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