key: cord-0837140-z6v9obwq authors: Obeidat, Nail; Saadeh, Rami; Obeidat, Maha; Khasawneh, Wasim; Khader, Yousef; Alfaqih, Mahmoud title: Perceptions of obstetricians and pediatricians about the risk of COVID‐19 for pregnant women and newborns date: 2020-06-25 journal: Int J Gynaecol Obstet DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.13264 sha: 2e5b4e6014902c9bf2fd574de3b4e5f29fcc2b02 doc_id: 837140 cord_uid: z6v9obwq OBJECTIVE: To assess the perception of obstetricians and pediatricians about risks of COVID‐19 to pregnant women and possible complications in newborns. METHODS: A structured 27‐item online survey was sent via social media messaging to obstetricians and pediatricians from public, academic, and private sectors in Jordan between March 23–30, 2020. Descriptive statistics were used to represent numbers and percentages of participants’ responses to survey items. RESULTS: A total of 147 physicians participated (107 obstetricians, 40 pediatricians). Participants were well informed about the symptoms, diagnosis, modes of transmission, and methods of prevention. Participants had variable perceptions about COVID‐19 risk during pregnancy, including potential vertical transmission, preferred route of delivery, and safety of breastfeeding. Most participants felt that pregnant women should be prioritized for testing and medical care provision. CONCLUSION: While evidence‐based strategies to reduce the risks of COVID‐19 in pregnant women and newborns are evolving, healthcare providers showed excellent knowledge of the infection and were vigilant regarding its complications for mothers and newborns. To ensure safe pregnancy, physicians must keep informed of developing guidance on best and safest prenatal and perinatal health services. Implementing local hospital policies and adequate training in infection control measures is strongly encouraged. Obeidat et aL. minimal risk, it remains undetermined whether the virus can be transmitted to the fetus in utero, during delivery, or via breastfeeding. In addition, considering the changes in immunity that accompany pregnancy, it is still not clear whether contracting COVID-19 infection during pregnancy is associated with more severe illness or a higher risk of complications such as preterm labor, spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, or birth defects. 1, 4, 5 Other challenges facing obstetricians relate to choosing mode of delivery. As more research is conducted, guidance is produced that is modified periodically as our knowledge evolves. According to current WHO guidelines, pregnant women with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection warrant special attention to minimize potential complications and protect healthcare personnel from acquiring the infection. Although encouraged by the WHO while applying the standard respiratory and hand hygiene mandated for all patients with COVID-19, there remains no consistent agreement regarding skin-to-skin care, rooming-in, and breastfeeding. 6 More recently, it has been reported by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) that COVID-19 is not associated with a higher rate of hospitalization, more severe presentation, or higher mortality among pregnant women compared with others. 7 Despite that, RCOG still recommends applying more conservative precautions following birth by restricting rooming-in and avoiding direct breastfeeding at least immediately after delivery until the COVID-19positive mother becomes less infectious. For the same reasons, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends temporary separation of newborns from their mothers and advise feeding with expressed breastmilk. 8 These organizations reinforce the importance of strict adherence to the precautionary infection control measures using personal protective equipment (PPE) during any direct contact between the mother and her newborn baby. Providing safe care to pregnant women with COVID-19 infection is a cornerstone of healthcare systems. 9 Establishing local hospital guidelines that regulate services provided to pregnant women and their newborns requires understanding of the current level of knowledge toward COVID-19. 1 The aim of the present study was to design a questionnaire that tested the perceptions of obstetricians and pediatricians about COVID-19 infection and possible complications in pregnant women and newborns. was reported by 14 (9.5%) physicians (n=7, 6.5% obstetricians and 7, 17.5% pediatricians). Table 1 shows the participants' awareness of the epidemiological aspects of COVID-19. Almost all participants identified fever, cough, and shortness of breath as symptoms of COVID-19, and 116 (78.9%) were aware that COVID-19 might present with no symptoms. The majority reported that COVID-19 can be transmitted via coughing and sneezing, hand shaking, and touching surfaces and 70 (47.6%) identified the fecal-oral route as a possible mode of transmission. Almost all were aware that risk groups include those with history of travel to areas experiencing transmission of COVID-19 and those with history of contact with confirmed or suspected patients. Table 2 , participants were aware of the main precautions for preventing the transmission of COVID-19, which include using disposable gloves and face masks, proper hand hygiene, frequent cleaning and sterilizing surfaces, avoidance of hand shaking, and direct contact with suspected or confirmed cases. Table 3 review, manuscript writing, and revision. YK contributed to data collection and analysis. MA contributed to study design, data analysis, and literature review. The authors have no conflicts of interest. Possible vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from an infected mother to her newborn COVID-19 Virus Pandemic Cross-infection and infection control in dentistry: Knowledge, attitude and practice of patients attended dental clinics in King Abdulaziz University Hospital Q&A on pregnancy, childbirth and COVID-19 Clinical analysis of 10 neonates born to mothers with 2019-nCoV pneumonia Sexual and reporoductive health. Pregnancy, Childbirth, breastfeeding and COVID-19 Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection and pregnancy AAP updates guidance on newborns whose mothers have suspected or confirmed COVID-19. AAP News Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 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