Learning Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic-A Qualitative Assessment of the Experiences of Pregnant Latinas Infected with COVID-19 and Their Perspectives on Vaccination.

Abstract

To examine the experiences of pregnant Hispanic/Latine people with COVID-19, as well as their perspectives on COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy.We interviewed birthing parents who received care from a teaching hospital in California and tested positive for COVID-19 during pregnancy or delivery. We analyzed transcripts using the constant comparative method for analyzing data to using a phenomological epidemiological approach. We used root cause analysis to identify consistent themes across interviews and assess relationships between social determinants of health and COVID-19 infectivity.We interviewed 14 women from November 2021 to June 2022. Participants reported COVID-19 adversely impacted their clinical care and well-being during pregnancy or postpartum. Impacts among Spanish-speaking participants included unexpected financial hardships, challenges navigating in-patient experiences, and difficulty securing reliable childcare. While most participants were at least partially vaccinated, participants also described doubts and concerns about the vaccine.Our findings suggest that Spanish-speaking Hispanic/Latine patients could benefit from receiving more information about COVID-19 in pregnancy from their healthcare providers. Leveraging familial and social networks, providing reliable information in people's preferred language, and increasing communication through trusted partners may also help combat vaccine hesitancy.

View details for DOI 10.1007/s40615-024-02010-3

View details for PubMedID 38709334