Information Needs of Pregnant Women in the COVID-19 Pandemic from Experts' Point of View: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: As pregnant women are among vulnerable groups susceptible to respiratory infections, healthcare systems in most countries would pay more attention to providing the services required in the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aims to identify the information needs of pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The research team conducted a qualitative conventional content analysis with an inductive approach to identify the views of 19 experts when working in the field of providing obstetric and midwifery services in Isfahan from April to June 2020. The semi-structured interviews were analyzed using MAXQDA v18. RESULTS: The results showed that the information needs of pregnant women during the Covid-19 epidemic should be set in four areas, including 1) Self-efficacy of pregnant women, 2) Information that provokes sensitivity to the preventive measures, 3) Awareness of the perceived threat, and 4) Awareness of the health system functions in COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSION: The study shows that the self-efficacy of pregnant women depends deeply on being informed of the general and specific self-care principles. Besides, sensitivity could be achieved through the increased risk perception and knowledge on the pandemic. However, pregnant mothers should know the potential threats that could pose them at risk of vulnerability. Finally, awareness of the health system functions regarding access to reliable information resources along with provided services at Medical University websites is also recommended.