Ovarian Cancer Isn't Just a White Woman's Disease

This Viewpoint highlights the need for recognition that ovarian cancer affects women from racial and ethnic minority groups worldwide and that the rates of ovarian cancer are increasing in those populations while decreasing among White women.

Social determinants of health and obstetric outcomes: A report and recommendations of the workshop of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine

This article is a report of a 2-day workshop, entitled "Social determinants of health and obstetric outcomes," held during the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine 2022 Annual Pregnancy Meeting. Participants' fields of expertise included obstetrics, pediatrics, epidemiology, health services, health equity, community-based research, and systems biology. The Commonwealth Foundation and the Alliance of Innovation on Maternal Health cosponsored the workshop and the Society for Women's Health Research provided additional support. The workshop included presentations and small group discussions, and its goals were to accomplish the following.

Characteristics of High Versus Low-Performing Hospitals for Very Preterm Infant Morbidity and Mortality

Objective

To ascertain organizational attributes, policies, and practices that differentiate hospitals with high versus low risk-adjusted rates of very preterm neonatal morbidity and mortality (NMM).

Methods

Using a positive deviance research framework, we conducted qualitative interviews of hospital leadership and frontline clinicians from September-October 2018 in 4 high-performing and 4 low-performing hospitals in New York City, based on NMM measured in previous research. Key interview topics included NICU physician and nurse staffing, professional development, standardization of care, quality measurement and improvement, and efforts to measure and report on racial/ethnic disparities in care and outcomes for very preterm infants. Interviews were audiotaped, professionally transcribed, and coded using NVivo software. In qualitative content analysis, researchers blinded to hospital performance identified emergent themes, highlighted illustrative quotes, and drew qualitative comparisons between hospital clusters.

Results

The following features distinguished high-performing facilities: 1) stronger commitment from hospital leadership to diversity, quality, and equity; 2) better access to specialist physicians and experienced nursing staff; 3) inclusion of nurses in developing clinical policies and protocols, and 4) acknowledgement of the influence of racism and bias in healthcare on racial-ethnic disparities. In both clusters, areas for improvement included comprehensive family engagement strategies, care standardization, and reporting of quality data by patient sociodemographic characteristics.

Conclusions and relevance

Our findings suggest specific organizational and cultural characteristics, from hospital leadership and clinician perspectives, that may yield better patient outcomes, and demonstrate the utility of a positive deviance framework to center equity in quality initiatives for high-risk infant care.

Development of a prediction model of postpartum hospital use using an equity-focused approach

BACKGROUND

Racial inequities in maternal morbidity and mortality persist into the postpartum period, leading to a higher rate of postpartum hospital use among Black and Hispanic people. Delivery hospitalizations provide an opportunity to screen and identify people at high risk to prevent adverse postpartum outcomes. Current models do not adequately incorporate social and structural determinants of health, and some include race, which may result in biased risk stratification.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to develop a risk prediction model of postpartum hospital use while incorporating social and structural determinants of health and using an equity approach.

STUDY DESIGN

We conducted a retrospective cohort study using 2016-2018 linked birth certificate and hospital discharge data for live-born infants in New York City. We included deliveries from 2016 to 2017 in model development, randomly assigning 70%/30% of deliveries as training/test data. We used deliveries in 2018 for temporal model validation. We defined "Composite postpartum hospital use" as at least 1 readmission or emergency department visit within 30 days of the delivery discharge. We categorized diagnosis at first hospital use into 14 categories based on International Classification of Diseases-Tenth Revision diagnosis codes. We tested 72 candidate variables, including social determinants of health, demographics, comorbidities, obstetrical complications, and severe maternal morbidity. Structural determinants of health were the Index of Concentration at the Extremes, which is an indicator of racial-economic segregation at the zip code level, and publicly available indices of the neighborhood built/natural and social/economic environment of the Child Opportunity Index. We used 4 statistical and machine learning algorithms to predict "Composite postpartum hospital use", and an ensemble approach to predict "Cause-specific postpartum hospital use". We simulated the impact of each risk stratification method paired with an effective intervention on race-ethnic equity in postpartum hospital use.

RESULTS

The overall incidence of postpartum hospital use was 5.7%; the incidences among Black, Hispanic, and White people were 8.8%, 7.4%, and 3.3%, respectively. The most common diagnoses for hospital use were general perinatal complications (17.5%), hypertension/eclampsia (12.0%), nongynecologic infections (10.7%), and wound infections (8.4%). Logistic regression with least absolute shrinkage and selection operator selection retained 22 predictor variables and achieved an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.69 in the training, 0.69 in test, and 0.69 in validation data. Other machine learning algorithms performed similarly. Selected social and structural determinants of health features included the Index of Concentration at the Extremes, insurance payor, depressive symptoms, and trimester entering prenatal care. The "Cause-specific postpartum hospital use" model selected 6 of the 14 outcome diagnoses (acute cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disease, hypertension/eclampsia, psychiatric disease, sepsis, and wound infection), achieving an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.75 in training, 0.77 in test, and 0.75 in validation data using a cross-validation approach. Models had slightly lower performance in Black and Hispanic subgroups. When simulating use of the risk stratification models with a postpartum intervention, identifying high-risk individuals with the "Composite postpartum hospital use" model resulted in the greatest reduction in racial-ethnic disparities in postpartum hospital use, compared with the "Cause-specific postpartum hospital use" model or a standard approach to identifying high-risk individuals with common pregnancy complications.

CONCLUSION

The "Composite postpartum hospital use" prediction model incorporating social and structural determinants of health can be used at delivery discharge to identify persons at risk for postpartum hospital use.

Scholarly activity following National Institutes of Health Women's Reproductive Health Research K12 training-a cohort study

BACKGROUND

National Institutes of Health funding to address basic reproductive health for common female conditions remains disproportionately low, in part because of low success rates of grant applications by obstetrician-gynecologists.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the scholarly productivity of individuals supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Women's Reproductive Health Research K12 career development award, created to advance careers of obstetrician-gynecologist physician-scientists.

STUDY DESIGN

We performed a cohort study of individuals who completed at least 2 years of Women's Reproductive Health Research training by June 30, 2015, and had at least 5-year follow-up. Earliest training start date was December 1, 1998. Primary outcomes from public data sources (National Institutes of Health RePORTER, PubMed, iCite) were (1) number of total and R01 National Institutes of Health grants as principal investigator; (2) numbers of total and first and last author publications; and (3) median and highest publication impact factor measured by the relative citation ratio. Secondary outcomes from an email survey subcohort were total number of research grants, federally funded grants, and number of National Institutes of Health grants as coinvestigator; institutional promotions and academic appointments, national and National Institutes of Health leadership roles; and career and mentorship satisfaction. Outcomes were recorded at 5, 10, and 15 years postgraduation, and aggregate anonymized data were divided into 3 groups using Women's Reproductive Health Research completion dates: June 30 of 2005, 2010, and 2015. Temporal trends were assessed. Results were stratified by gender, number of awarded grant cycles (1-2 vs 3-4), and specialty type. Analyses used Fisher exact or Pearson chi-square tests, and Mantel-Haenszel tests of trend.

RESULTS

The distribution of the cohort (N=178) by graduation completion date was: on or before June 30, 2005 (57 [32%]); July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2010 (60 [34%]); and July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2015 (61 [34%]). Most participants were female (112 [64%]) and maternal-fetal medicine trained (53 [30%]), followed by no fellowship (50 [28%]). Of the 178 participants, 72 (40%) received additional National Institutes of Health funding as a principal investigator, 45 (25%) received at least 1 R01, and 23 (13%) received 2 to 5 R01s. There were 52 (31%) scholars with >10 first author publications, 66 (39%) with >10 last author publications, and 108 (63%) with ≥25 publications. The highest relative citation ratio was a median of 8.07 (interquartile range, 4.20-15.16). There were 121 (71%) scholars with relative citation ratio ≥5, indicating >5-fold greater publication impact than that of other National Institutes of Health-funded scientists in similar areas of research. No differences by gender, institution, or temporal trends were observed. Of the full cohort, 69 (45.7%) responded to the survey; most self-identified as women (50 [73%]) and White (51 [74%]).

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that the infrastructure provided by an institutional K award is an advantageous career development award mechanism for obstetrician-gynecologists, a group of predominantly women surgeons. It may serve as a corrective for the known inequities in National Institutes of Health funding by gender.

Predictors and Trends in First-Trimester Hemoglobin A1c Screening in New York City, 2009 to 2017

Glycated hemoglobin is an adjunct tool in early pregnancy to assess glycemic control. We examined trends and maternal predictors for those who had A1c screening in early pregnancy using hospital discharge and vital registry data between 2009 and 2017 linked with the New York City A1C Registry (N = 798,312). First-trimester A1c screening increased from 2.3% in 2009 to 7.7% in 2017. The likelihood of screening became less targeted to high-risk patients over time, with a decrease in mean A1c values from 5.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.8, 5.9) to 5.3 (95% CI: 5.3, 5.4). The prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus increased while testing became less discriminate for those with high-risk factors, including pregestational type 2 diabetes, chronic hypertension, obesity, age over 40 years, as well as Asian or Black non-Hispanic race/ethnicity. KEY POINTS: · First-trimester A1c screening increased from 2.3% in 2009 to 7.7% in 2017 in New York City.. · The likelihood of screening became less targeted to high-risk patients over time.. · The prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus increased, while testing became less discriminate..

Assessing racial residential segregation as a risk factor for severe maternal morbidity

PURPOSE

To measure associations of area-level racial and economic residential segregation with severe maternal morbidity (SMM).

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of births at two Philadelphia hospitals between 2018 and 2020 to analyze associations of segregation, quantified using the Index of Concentration at the Extremes (ICE), with SMM. We used stratified multivariable, multilevel, logistic regression models to determine whether associations of ICE with SMM varied by self-identified race or hospital catchment.

RESULTS

Of the 25,979 patients (44.1% Black, 35.8% White), 1381 (5.3%) had SMM (Black [6.1%], White [4.4%]). SMM was higher among patients residing outside (6.3%), than inside (5.0%) Philadelphia (P < .001). Overall, ICE was not associated with SMM. However, ICErace (higher proportion of White vs. Black households) was associated with lower odds of SMM among patients residing inside Philadelphia (aOR 0.87, 95% CI: 0.80-0.94) and higher odds outside Philadelphia (aOR 1.12, 95% CI: 0.95-1.31). Moran's I indicated spatial autocorrelation of SMM overall (P < .001); when stratified, autocorrelation was only evident outside Philadelphia.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, ICE was not associated with SMM. However, higher ICErace was associated with lower odds of SMM among Philadelphia residents. Findings highlight the importance of hospital catchment area and referral patterns in spatial analyses of hospital datasets.

Influence of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus on Diabetes Risk and Glycemic Control in a Retrospective Population-Based Cohort

OBJECTIVE

Racial/ethnic-specific estimates of the influence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) on type 2 diabetes remain underexplored in large population-based cohorts. We estimated racial/ethnic differences in the influence of GDM on diabetes risk and glycemic control in a multiethnic, population-based cohort of postpartum women.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Hospital discharge and vital registry data for New York City (NYC) births between 2009 and 2011 were linked with NYC A1C Registry data between 2009 and 2017. Women with baseline diabetes (n = 2,810) were excluded for a final birth cohort of 336,276. GDM on time to diabetes onset (two A1C tests of ≥6.5% from 12 weeks postpartum onward) or glucose control (first test of A1C <7.0% following diagnosis) was assessed using Cox regression with a time-varying exposure. Models were adjusted for sociodemographic and clinical factors and stratified by race/ethnicity.

RESULTS

The cumulative incidence for diabetes was 11.8% and 0.6% among women with and without GDM. The adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of GDM status on diabetes risk was 11.5 (95% CI 10.8, 12.3) overall, with slight differences by race/ethnicity. GDM was associated with a lower likelihood of glycemic control (aHR 0.85; 95% CI 0.79, 0.92), with the largest negative influence among Black (aHR 0.77; 95% CI 0.68, 0.88) and Hispanic (aHR 0.84; 95% CI 0.74, 0.95) women. Adjustment for screening bias and loss to follow-up modestly attenuated racial/ethnic differences in diabetes risk but had little influence on glycemic control.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding racial/ethnic differences in the influence of GDM on diabetes progression is critical to disrupt life course cardiometabolic disparities.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Antibody Titer Levels in Pregnant Individuals After Infection, Vaccination, or Both

We examined differences in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibody responses in pregnant individuals with natural, vaccine-induced, or combined immunity. Participants had live or nonlive births between 2020 and 2022, were seropositive (SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, anti-S), and had available mRNA vaccination and infection information (n=260). We compared titer levels among three immunity profiles: 1) natural immunity (n=191), 2) vaccine-induced immunity (n=37), and 3) combined immunity (ie, natural and vaccine-induced immunity; n=32). We applied linear regression to compare anti-S titers between the groups, controlling for age, race and ethnicity, and time between vaccination or infection (whichever came last) and sample collection. Anti-S titers were 57.3% and 94.4% lower among those with vaccine-induced and natural immunity, respectively, compared with those with combined immunity ( P <.001, P =.005).

What we talk about when we talk about severe maternal morbidity: a call to action to critically review severe maternal morbidity as an outcome measure

Severe maternal morbidity has historically functioned as an umbrella term to define major, potentially life-threatening obstetrical, medical, and surgical complications of pregnancy. There is no overarching or consensus definition of the constellation of conditions that have been used variably to define severe maternal morbidity, although it is clear that having a well-honed definition of severe maternal morbidity is important for research, quality improvement, and health policy purposes. Although severe maternal morbidity may ultimately elude a single unifying definition because different features may be relevant depending on context and modality of data acquisition, it is valuable to explore the intellectual frameworks and various applications of severe maternal morbidity in current practice, and to consider the potential benefit of more consolidated terminology for maternal morbidity.

Postpartum hospital use among survivors of intimate partner violence

OBJECTIVE

More than 1 in 3 individuals who identify as female, experience either intimate partner violence (IPV) or sexual assault during their lifetime, and sexual violence committed by an intimate partner is at its highest during their reproductive years.1 As many as 20% of pregnant individuals may experience IPV, and IPV during pregnancy has been associated with an increased risk for adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, making pregnant individuals an especially vulnerable population.1 In fact, >50% of pregnancy-associated suicides and >45% of pregnancy-associated homicides are associated with IPV and these often occur during the postpartum period.2 Although >50% of maternal deaths occur postpartum,3 little research has examined whether IPV is associated with markers of postpartum maternal morbidity, including hospital readmission and emergency department (ED) visits.4 In addition, few studies have examined the feasibility of ascertaining IPV at the delivery hospitalization using billing codes. Although the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes include factors related to social determinants of health, ICD-10 codes are largely underutilized for the purpose of understanding risk of disease and adverse outcomes.5 The primary objective of this study was to investigate the association of IPV screening at delivery with the incidence of postpartum hospital use. Another objective was to examine the possibility of using ICD-10 codes at the delivery hospitalization to identify IPV in pregnant individuals.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a retrospective cohort of birth data linked with inpatient and outpatient hospital claims data, including deliveries of individuals residing in the New York City metropolitan area between 2016 and 2018. Thirty-day hospital use was ascertained by either a readmission or an ED visit within 30 days of discharge. We identified the incidence of IPV from the delivery hospital discharge records using 36 IPV-related ICD-10 codes that we identified in the literature, including those defined for adult psychological and sexual abuse. We estimated the associations between IPV identified during the delivery hospitalization and postpartum hospital use using a multivariable logistic regression and separately adjusting for demographic and structural determinants of health, psychosocial factors, comorbidities, and obstetrical complications. All analyses were performed using SAS version 9.4 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC). This study was approved by our institutional review board.

RESULTS

IPV was indicated on the discharge records of 348 individuals (0.11%). As shown in the Table, the overall incidence of ED visits among individuals with an IPV-related diagnosis was 12.9%. The incidence of a postpartum ED visit was significantly higher among individuals with an IPV diagnosis than among those without (odds ratio [OR], 2.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.1-3.9), and this was true after sequentially adjusting for demographic and structural determinants of health (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.4-2.7), comorbidities and pregnancy complications (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.4-2.6), psychosocial factors (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-2.0), and obstetrical complications (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-2.0). The incidence of either a postpartum ED visit or readmission was also higher among those patients with an IPV-related diagnosis (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 2.0-3.6). However, there was no significant difference in postpartum readmissions alone among patients with or without an IPV-related diagnosis.

CONCLUSION

This study established that postpartum ED visits are significantly higher among individuals with an IPV-related diagnosis during the delivery hospitalization in a large citywide database, even after adjusting for established risk factors for postpartum ED use. Because ED visits have been identified as a possible marker of maternal morbidity and mortality,4 this finding may suggest that individuals affected by IPV could benefit from screening throughout pregnancy, including during the delivery hospitalization, to prevent adverse postpartum outcomes. However, as established in this study, IPV identified solely by ICD-10 codes during the delivery hospitalization is rare and likely underreported. It is possible that underdetection of IPV is because of insufficient clinician screening, a lack of documentation in the medical records using ICD-10 codes, and the medical status of the pregnant individual at the time of delivery. This finding demonstrates a need to screen and record findings thoroughly during the pregnancy period, including at delivery hospitalization, for any IPV-related diagnoses. A limitation of our data is that we were not able to ascertain hospital use outside of New York City and did not include other time points during an individual's pregnancy. Future research should identify at which time points IPV screening occurs during care of a pregnant individual and whether this may affect postpartum ED visit rates. As a clinical outcome, maternal mortality is preventable and screening for risk factors such as IPV throughout the perinatal period, including at delivery admission and during the postpartum period, is imperative for comprehensive obstetrics care.

Addressing the National Crisis Facing Black and Latina Women, Birthing People, and Infants: The Maternal and Child Health Equity Summit

To address the national crisis of maternal and infant health disparities, especially outcomes experienced by Black and Latina women and birthing people, The New York Academy of Medicine, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Blavatnik Family Women's Health Research Institute, and the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Perelman School of Medicine hosted the Maternal and Child Health Equity Summit. The primary purpose of the summit was to disseminate findings to a national audience of two National Institutes of Health-funded mixed-methods studies that investigated the contribution of hospital quality to disparities in maternal and infant Health in New York City (R01MD007651 and R01HD078565). In addition, the summit showcased factors in maternal and infant health inequity from leading diverse experts in both fields and identified outstanding challenges to reducing maternal and infant morbidity and mortality disparities and strategies to address them. Summit presenters and participants identified five primary areas of focus in proposed clinical actions and approaches for maternal and neonatal health care based on discussions during the summit: 1) quality and standardization of care; 2) adjustment of care strategy based on patient-reported experience; 3) health care professional and institutional accountability to patients; 4) commitment to building trust; and 5) anti-racism practices in education, training, and hiring. Recommendations from this conference should inform hospital care and public policy changes and frame a national agenda to address perinatal health disparities for Black, Indigenous, and other women and birthing people of color.

Impact of prenatal COVID-19 vaccination on delivery and neonatal outcomes: Results from a New York City cohort

Research suggest prenatal vaccination against coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is safe. However, previous studies utilized retrospectively collected data or examined late pregnancy vaccinations. We investigated the associations of COVID-19 vaccination throughout pregnancy with delivery and neonatal outcomes. We included 1,794 mother-neonate dyads enrolled in the Generation C Study with known prenatal COVID-19 vaccination status and complete covariate and outcome data. We used multivariable quantile regressions to estimate the effect of prenatal COVID-19 vaccination on birthweight, delivery gestational age, and blood loss at delivery; and Poisson generalized linear models for Caesarean delivery (CD) and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) admission. Using the above methods, we estimated effects of trimester of vaccine initiation on these outcomes. In our sample, 13.7% (n = 250) received at least one prenatal dose of any COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccination was not associated with birthweight (β = 12.42 g [-90.5, 114.8]), gestational age (β = 0.2 days [-1.1, 1.5]), blood loss (β = -50.6 ml [-107.0, 5.8]), the risks of CD (RR = 0.8; [0.6, 1.1]) or NICU admission (RR = 0.9 [0.5, 1.7]). Trimester of vaccine initiation was also not associated with these outcomes. Our findings suggest that there is no associated risk between prenatal COVID-19 vaccination and adverse delivery and neonatal outcomes in a cohort sample from NYC.

The influence of racial-ethnic discrimination on women's health care outcomes: A mixed methods systematic review

BACKGROUND

In the U.S, a wide body of evidence has documented significant racial-ethnic disparities in women's health, and growing attention has focused on discrimination in health care as an underlying cause. Yet, there are knowledge gaps on how experiences of racial-ethnic health care discrimination across the life course influence the health of women of color. Our objective was to summarize existing literature on the impact of racial-ethnic health care discrimination on health care outcomes for women of color to examine multiple health care areas encountered across the life course.

METHODS

We systematically searched three databases and conducted study screening, data extraction, and quality assessment. We included quantitative and qualitative peer-reviewed literature on racial-ethnic health care discrimination towards women of color, focusing on studies that measured patient-perceived discrimination or differential treatment resulting from implicit provider bias. Results were summarized through narrative synthesis.

RESULTS

In total, 84 articles were included spanning different health care domains, such as perinatal and cancer care. Qualitative studies demonstrated the existence of racial-ethnic discrimination across care domains. Most quantitative studies reported a mix of positive and null associations between discrimination and adverse health care outcomes, with variation by the type of health care outcome. For instance, over three-quarters of the studies exploring associations between discrimination/bias and health care-related behaviors or beliefs found significant associations, whereas around two-thirds of the studies on clinical interventions found no significant associations.

CONCLUSIONS

This review shows substantial evidence on the existence of racial-ethnic discrimination in health care and its impact on women of color in the U.S. However, the evidence on how this phenomenon influences health care outcomes varies in strength by the type of outcome investigated. High-quality, targeted research using validated measures that is grounded in theoretical frameworks on racism is needed. This systematic review was registered [PROSPERO ID: CRD42018105448].

Economic Evaluation of Prenatal and Postpartum Care in Women With Gestational Diabetes and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to summarize evidence on the economic outcomes of prenatal and postpartum interventions for the management of gestational diabetes mellitus and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), assess the quality of each study, and identify research gaps that may inform future research.

METHODS

Electronic databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from January 1, 2000, to October 1, 2021. Selected studies were included in narrative synthesis and extracted data were presented in narrative and tabular forms. The quality of each study was assessed using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards and Consensus on Health Economic Criteria list.

RESULTS

Among the 22 studies identified through the systematic review, 19 reported favorable cost-effectiveness of the intervention. For prenatal management of HDP, home blood pressure monitoring was found to be cost-effective compared with in-person visits in improving maternal and neonatal outcomes. For postpartum care, regular screening for hypertension or metabolic syndrome followed by subsequent treatment was found to be cost-effective compared with no screening in women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus or HDP.

CONCLUSIONS

Existing economic evaluation studies showed that prenatal home blood pressure monitoring and postpartum screening for hypertension or metabolic syndrome were cost-effective. Nevertheless, limitations in the approach of the current economic evaluations may dampen the quality of the evidence and warrant further investigation.

Stress and the Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Frontline Obstetrics and Gynecology Providers

OBJECTIVE

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic rapidly overwhelmed global health care systems in 2020, with New York City (NYC) marking the first epicenter in the United States. High levels of stress amongst health care workers have been reported in pandemics, but less is known about stress amongst Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) providers. We sought to describe levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and other aspects of mental health among OB/GYN health care workers during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

STUDY DESIGN

We conducted an anonymous cross-sectional electronic survey of a wide range of OB/GYN clinicians in a large NYC hospital system in the spring of 2020. We used both original survey questions and validated screening tools to assess stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout. We calculated median scores for these tools and compared median score between provider types. We also adapted questions on pandemic-related stressors from the MERS and SARS pandemics to fit the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and OB/GYN providers.

RESULTS

A total of 464 providers met study inclusion criteria, and 163 providers completed the survey (response rate = 35.1%). Approximately 35% of providers screened positive for anxiety and 21% for depression. Scores for depression, burnout, and fulfillment varied by provider type, with nurses scoring higher than physicians (p <0.05). The majority of respondents reported stress from pandemic and OB-specific stressors, including the possibility of transmitting COVID-19 to friends and family (83.9%, [95% confidence interval or CI 78.0-89.8%]), uncertainty regarding the pandemic's trajectory (91.3% [86.7-95.8%]), and frequent policy changes on labor and delivery (72.7% [65.1-80.3%]).

CONCLUSION

OB/GYN providers reported high levels of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The stress of caring for laboring patients during a pandemic may disproportionately affect nurses and trainees and highlights the need to provide interventions to ameliorate the negative impact of a pandemic on the mental health of our OB/GYN health care workers.

KEY POINTS

· COVID-19 led to stress amongst OB/GYN providers.. · Some stressors were unique to providing obstetric care.. · Nurses and trainees were more affected by this stress..

Postpartum Hospital Readmissions and Emergency Department Visits Among High-Risk, Medicaid-Insured Women in New York City

Objectives: To describe the incidence of and characteristics associated with postpartum emergency department (ED) visits and hospital readmissions among high-risk, low-income, predominantly Black and Latina women in New York City (NYC). Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of detailed survey and medical chart data from an intervention to improve timely postpartum visits among Medicaid-insured, high-risk women in NYC from 2015 to 2016. Among 380 women who completed surveys at baseline (bedside postpartum) and 3 weeks after delivery, we examined the incidence of having an ED visit or readmission within 3 weeks postpartum. We used logistic regression to examine unadjusted and adjusted associations between patient demographic, clinical, and psychosocial characteristics and the odds of postpartum hospital use. Results: In total, 12.8% (n = 48) of women reported an ED visit or readmission within 3 weeks postpartum. Unadjusted odds of postpartum hospital use were higher among women who self-identified as Black versus Latina, U.S. born versus foreign born, and English versus Spanish speaking. Clinical and psychosocial characteristics associated with increased unadjusted odds of postpartum hospital use included cesarean delivery, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and positive depression or anxiety screen, and we found preliminary evidence of decreased hospital use among women breastfeeding at three weeks postpartum. The odds of seeking postpartum hospital care remained roughly 2.5 times higher among women with hypertension or depression/anxiety in adjusted analyses. Conclusions: We identified characteristics associated with ED visits and hospital readmissions among a high-risk subset of postpartum women in NYC. These characteristics, including depressive symptoms and hypertension, suggest women who may benefit from additional postpartum support to prevent maternal complications and reduce health disparities.

Gestational SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with placental expression of immune and trophoblast genes

INTRODUCTION

Maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and can have effects on the placenta, even in the absence of severe disease or vertical transmission to the fetus. This study aimed to evaluate histopathologic and molecular effects in the placenta after SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy.

METHODS

We performed a study of 45 pregnant participants from the Generation C prospective cohort study at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. We compared histologic features and the expression of 48 immune and trophoblast genes in placentas delivered from 15 SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody positive and 30 IgG SARS-CoV-2 antibody negative mothers. Statistical analyses were performed using Fisher's exact tests, Spearman correlations and linear regression models.

RESULTS

The median gestational age at the time of SARS-CoV-2 IgG serology test was 35 weeks. Two of the IgG positive participants also had a positive RT-PCR nasal swab at delivery. 82.2% of the infants were delivered at term (≥37 weeks), and gestational age at delivery did not differ between the SARS-CoV-2 antibody positive and negative groups. No significant differences were detected between the groups in placental histopathology features. Differential expression analyses revealed decreased expression of two trophoblast genes (PSG3 and CGB3) and increased expression of three immune genes (CXCL10, TLR3 and DDX58) in placentas delivered from SARS-CoV-2 IgG positive participants.

DISCUSSION

SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy is associated with gene expression changes of immune and trophoblast genes in the placenta at birth which could potentially contribute to long-term health effects in the offspring.

The influence of structural racism, pandemic stress, and SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy with adverse birth outcomes

BACKGROUND

Structural racism and pandemic-related stress from the COVID-19 pandemic may increase the risk of adverse birth outcomes.

OBJECTIVE

Our objective was to examine associations between neighborhood measures of structural racism and pandemic stress with 3 outcomes: SARS-CoV-2 infection, preterm birth, and delivering small-for-gestational-age newborns. Our secondary objective was to investigate the joint association of SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and neighborhood measures with preterm birth and delivering small-for-gestational-age newborns.

STUDY DESIGN

We analyzed data of 967 patients from a prospective cohort of pregnant persons in New York City, comprising 367 White (38%), 169 Black (17%), 293 Latina (30%), and 87 Asian persons (9%), 41 persons of other race or ethnicity (4%), and 10 of unknown race or ethnicity (1%). We evaluated structural racism (social/built structural disadvantage, racial-economic segregation) and pandemic-related stress (community COVID-19 mortality, community unemployment rate increase) in quartiles by zone improvement plan code. SARS-CoV-2 serologic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed on blood samples from pregnant persons. We obtained data on preterm birth and small-for-gestational-age newborns from an electronic medical record database. We used log-binomial regression with robust standard error for clustering by zone improvement plan code to estimate associations of each neighborhood measure separately with 3 outcomes: SARS-CoV-2 infection, preterm birth, and small-for-gestational-age newborns. Covariates included maternal age, parity, insurance status, and body mass index. Models with preterm birth and small-for-gestational-age newborns as the dependent variables additionally adjusted for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

RESULTS

A total of 193 (20%) persons were SARS-CoV-2-seropositive, and the overall risks of preterm birth and small-for-gestational-age newborns were 8.4% and 9.8%, respectively. Among birthing persons in neighborhoods in the highest quartile of structural disadvantage (n=190), 94% were non-White, 50% had public insurance, 41% were obese, 32% were seropositive, 11% delivered preterm, and 12% delivered a small-for-gestational-age infant. Among birthing persons in neighborhoods in the lowest quartile of structural disadvantage (n=360), 39% were non-White, 17% had public insurance, 15% were obese, 9% were seropositive, 6% delivered preterm, and 10% delivered a small-for-gestational-age infant. In adjusted analyses, structural racism measures and community unemployment were associated with both SARS-CoV-2 infection and preterm birth, but not small-for-gestational-age infants. High vs low structural disadvantage was associated with an adjusted relative risk of 2.6 for infection (95% confidence interval, 1.7-3.9) and 1.7 for preterm birth (95% confidence interval, 1.0-2.9); high vs low racial-economic segregation was associated with adjusted relative risk of 1.9 (95% confidence interval, 1.3-2.8) for infection and 2.0 (95% confidence interval, 1.3-3.2) for preterm birth; high vs low community unemployment increase was associated with adjusted relative risk of 1.7 (95% confidence interval, 1.2-1.5) for infection and 1.6 (95% confidence interval, 1.0-2.8) for preterm birth. COVID-19 mortality rate was associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection but not preterm birth or small-for-gestational-age infants. SARS-CoV-2 infection was not independently associated with birth outcomes. We found no interaction between SARS-CoV-2 infection and neighborhood measures on preterm birth or small-for-gestational-age infants.

CONCLUSION

Neighborhood measures of structural racism were associated with both SARS-CoV-2 infection and preterm birth, but these associations were independent and did not have a synergistic effect. Community unemployment rate increases were also associated with an increased risk of preterm birth independently of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Mitigating these factors might reduce the impact of the pandemic on pregnant people.

SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy and associated outcomes: Results from an ongoing prospective cohort

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic is an ongoing global health threat, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Questions remain about how SARS-CoV-2 impacts pregnant individuals and their children.

OBJECTIVE

To expand our understanding of the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy on pregnancy outcomes, regardless of symptomatology, by using serological tests to measure IgG antibody levels.

METHODS

The Generation C Study is an ongoing prospective cohort study conducted at the Mount Sinai Health System. All pregnant individuals receiving obstetrical care at the Mount Sinai Healthcare System from 20 April 2020 onwards are eligible for participation. For the current analysis, we included participants who had given birth to a liveborn singleton infant on or before 22 September 2020. For each woman, we tested the latest prenatal blood sample available to establish seropositivity using a SARS-CoV-2 serologic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Additionally, RT-PCR testing was performed on a nasopharyngeal swab taken during labour. Pregnancy outcomes of interest (i.e., gestational age at delivery, preterm birth, small for gestational age, Apgar scores, maternal and neonatal intensive care unit admission, and length of neonatal hospital stay) and covariates were extracted from medical records. Excluding individuals who tested RT-PCR positive at delivery, we conducted crude and adjusted regression models to compare antibody positive with antibody negative individuals at delivery. We stratified analyses by race/ethnicity to examine potential effect modification.

RESULTS

The SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence based on IgG measurement was 16.4% (95% confidence interval 13.7, 19.3; n=116). Twelve individuals (1.7%) were SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positive at delivery. Seropositive individuals were generally younger, more often Black or Hispanic, and more often had public insurance and higher pre-pregnancy BMI compared with seronegative individuals. None of the examined pregnancy outcomes differed by seropositivity, overall or stratified by race/ethnicity.

CONCLUSION

Seropositivity for SARS-CoV-2 without RT-PCR positivity at delivery (suggesting that infection occurred earlier during pregnancy) was not associated with selected adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes among live births in a cohort sample from New York City.

The Transition to Parenthood in Obstetrics: Enhancing Prenatal Care for Two Generation Impact

Obstetrics, the specialty overseeing infant and parent health before birth, could be expanded to address the inter-related areas of parents' prenatal impact on children's brain development and their own psychosocial needs during a time of immense change and neuroplasticity. Obstetrics is primed for the shift that is happening in pediatrics, which is moving from its traditional focus on physical health to a coordinated, whole child, two or multi-generation approach. Pediatric care now includes developmental screening, parenting education, parent coaching, access to developmental specialists, brain-building caregiving skills, linkages to community resources, and tiered interventions with psychologists. Drawing on decades of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease research highlighting the prenatal beginnings of future health and new studies on the transition to parenthood describing adult development from pregnancy to early postpartum, we propose that, similar to pediatrics, the integration of education and intervention strategies into the prenatal care ecosystem should be tested for its potential to improve child cognitive and social-emotional development and parental mental health. Pediatric care programs can serve as models of change for the systematic development, testing and, incorporation of new content into prenatal care as universal, first-tier treatment as well as evidenced-based, triaged interventions according to level of need. To promote optimal beginnings for the whole family, we propose an augmented prenatal care ecosystem that aligns with, and could build on, current major efforts to enhance perinatal care individualization through consideration of medical, social, and structural determinants of health.

The relationship between obstetrical interventions and the increase in U.S. preterm births, 2014-2019

We examined the relationship between obstetrical intervention and preterm birth in the United States between 2014 and 2019. This observational study analyzed 2014-2019 US birth data to assess changes in preterm birth, cesarean delivery, induction of labor, and associated risks. Logistic regression modeled the odds of preterm obstetrical intervention (no labor cesarean or induction) after risk adjustment. The percentage of singleton preterm births in the United States increased by 9.4% from 2014-2019. The percent of singleton, preterm births delivered by cesarean increased by 6.0%, while the percent with induction of labor increased by 39.1%. The percentage of singleton preterm births where obstetrical intervention (no labor cesarean or induction) potentially impacted the gestational age at delivery increased from 47.6% in 2014 to 54.9% in 2019. Preterm interventions were 13% more likely overall in 2019 compared to 2014 and 17% more likely among late preterm births, after controlling for demographic and medical risk factors. Compared to non-Hispanic White women, Non-Hispanic Black women had a higher risk of preterm obstetric interventions. Preterm infants have higher morbidity and mortality rates than term infants, thus any increase in the preterm birth rate is concerning. A renewed effort to understand the trends in preterm interventions is needed to ensure that obstetrical interventions are evidence-based and are limited to those cases where they optimize outcomes for both mothers and babies.

COVID-19 pandemic-related change in racial and ethnic disparities in exclusive breastmilk feeding during the delivery hospitalization: a differences-in-differences analysis

OBJECTIVE

Exclusive breastmilk feeding during the delivery hospitalization, a Joint Commission indicator of perinatal care quality, is associated with longer-term breastfeeding success. Marked racial and ethnic disparities in breastfeeding exclusivity and duration existed prior to COVID-19. The pandemic, accompanied by uncertainty regarding intrapartum and postpartum safety practices, may have influenced disparities in infant feeding practices. Our objective was to examine whether the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City was associated with a change in racial and ethnic disparities in exclusive breastmilk feeding during the delivery stay.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study of electronic medical records from 14,964 births in two New York City hospitals. We conducted a difference-in-differences (DID) analysis to compare Black-white, Latina-white, and Asian-white disparities in exclusive breastmilk feeding in a pandemic cohort (April 1-July 31, 2020, n=3122 deliveries) to disparities in a pre-pandemic cohort (January 1, 2019-February 28, 2020, n=11,842). We defined exclusive breastmilk feeding as receipt of only breastmilk during delivery hospitalization, regardless of route of administration. We ascertained severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection status from reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction tests from nasopharyngeal swab at admission. For each DID model (e.g. Black-white disparity), we used covariate-adjusted log binomial regression models to estimate racial and ethnic risk differences, pandemic versus pre-pandemic cohort risk differences, and an interaction term representing the DID estimator.

RESULTS

Exclusive breastmilk feeding increased from pre-pandemic to pandemic among white (40.8% to 46.6%, p<0.001) and Asian (27.9% to 35.8%, p=0.004) women, but not Black (22.6% to 25.3%, p=0.275) or Latina (20.1% to 21.4%, p=0.515) women overall. There was an increase in the Latina-white exclusive breastmilk feeding disparity associated with the pandemic (DID estimator=6.3 fewer cases per 100 births (95% CI=-10.8, -1.9)). We found decreased breastmilk feeding specifically among SARS-CoV-2 positive Latina women (20.1% pre-pandemic vs. 9.1% pandemic p=0.013), and no change in Black-white or Asian-white disparities.

CONCLUSIONS

We observed a pandemic-related increase in the Latina-white disparity in exclusive breastmilk feeding, urging hospital policies and programs to increase equity in breastmilk feeding and perinatal care quality during and beyond this health emergency.

Improving Postpartum Care: Identifying Opportunities to Reduce Postpartum Emergency Room Visits Among Publicly-Insured Women of Color

Background/Objectives

The purpose of this study was to explore the postpartum experiences of publicly-insured women of color, and identify how postpartum care can be improved to reduce hospital emergency department usage after delivery.

Methods

We conducted four focus groups with 18 publicly-insured women who primarily self-identified as Black and/or Latina and gave birth between June 1, 2019 and May 1, 2020. We used inductive qualitative analysis to identify prominent themes from focus group discussions.

Results

We identified four domains: (1) lack of access to and communication with a medical team; (2) lack of preparation; (3) value of social support; and (4) participant-identified opportunities for improvement.

Conclusions for Practice

This study describes the postpartum experiences of publicly-insured women of color with the objective of identifying areas for intervention to reduce postpartum emergency department usage. Our findings suggest that focused efforts on enhancing continuity of care to increase healthcare access, strengthening patient-provider communication by training providers to recognize unconscious bias, increasing postpartum preparation by adapting teaching materials to an online format, and engaging women’s caregivers throughout the pregnancy course to bolster social support, may be beneficial.

Developing Tools to Report Racism in Maternal Health for the CDC Maternal Mortality Review Information Application (MMRIA): Findings from the MMRIA Racism & Discrimination Working Group

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report from the field is to describe the process by which an multidisciplinary workgroup, selected by the CDC Foundation in partnership with maternal health experts, developed a definition of racism that would be specifically appropriate for inclusion on the Maternal Mortality Review Information Application (MMRIA) form.

DESCRIPTION

In the United States Black women are nearly 4 times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death. Recent evidence points to racism as a fundamental cause of this inequity. Furthermore, the CDC reports that 3 of 5 pregnancy related deaths are preventable. With these startling facts in mind, the CDC created the Maternal Mortality Review Information Application (MMRIA) for use by Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRC) to support standardized data abstraction, case narrative development, documentation of committee decisions, and analysis on maternal mortality to inform practices and policies for preventing maternal mortality.

ASSESSMENT

Charged with the task of defining racism and discrimination as contributors to pregnancy related mortality, the work group established four goals to define their efforts: (1) the desire to create a product that was inclusive of all forms of racism and discrimination experienced by birthing people; (2) an acknowledgement of the legacy of racism in the U.S. and the norms in health care delivery that perpetuate racist ideology; (3) an acknowledgement of the racist narratives surrounding the issue of maternal mortality and morbidity that often leads to victim blaming; and (4) that the product would be user friendly for MMRCs.

CONCLUSION

The working group developed three definitions and a list of recommendations for action to help MMRC members provide suggested interventions to adopt when discrimination or racism were contributing factors to a maternal death. The specification of these definitions will allow the systematic tracking of the contribution of racism to maternal mortality through the MMRIA and allow a greater standardization of its identification across participating jurisdictions with MMRCs that use the form.

Hospital Quality of Care and Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Unexpected Newborn Complications

OBJECTIVES

To investigate racial and ethnic differences in unexpected, term newborn morbidity and the influence of hospital quality on disparities.

METHODS

We used 2010-2014 birth certificate and discharge abstract data from 40 New York City hospitals in a retrospective cohort study of 483 834 low-risk (term, singleton, birth weight ≥2500 g, without preexisting fetal conditions) neonates. We classified morbidity according to The Joint Commission's unexpected newborn complications metric and used multivariable logistic regression to compare morbidity risk among racial and ethnic groups. We generated risk-standardized complication rates for each hospital using mixed-effects logistic regression to evaluate quality, ranked hospitals on this measure, and assessed differences in the racial and ethnic distribution of births across facilities.

RESULTS

The unexpected complications rate was 48.0 per 1000 births. Adjusted for patient characteristics, morbidity risk was higher among Black and Hispanic infants compared with white infants (odds ratio: 1.5 [95% confidence interval 1.3-1.9]; odds ratio: 1.2 [95% confidence interval 1.1-1.4], respectively). Among the 40 hospitals, risk-standardized complications ranged from 25.3 to 162.8 per 1000 births. One-third of Black and Hispanic women gave birth in hospitals ranking in the highest-morbidity tertile, compared with 10% of white and Asian American women (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Black and Hispanic women were more likely to deliver in hospitals with high complication rates than were white or Asian American women. Findings implicate hospital quality in contributing to preventable newborn health disparities among low-risk, term births. Quality improvement targeting routine obstetric and neonatal care is critical for equity in perinatal outcomes.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Maternal Mortality in the United States Using Enhanced Vital Records, 2016‒2017

Objectives. To better understand racial and ethnic disparities in US maternal mortality. Methods. We analyzed 2016-2017 vital statistics mortality data with cause-of-death literals (actual words written on the death certificate) added. We created a subset of confirmed maternal deaths that had pregnancy mentions in the cause-of-death literals. Primary cause of death was identified and recoded using cause-of-death literals. We examined racial and ethnic disparities both overall and by primary cause. Results. The maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black women was 3.55 times that for non-Hispanic White women. Leading causes of maternal death for non-Hispanic Black women were eclampsia and preeclampsia and postpartum cardiomyopathy with rates 5 times those for non-Hispanic White women. Non-Hispanic Black maternal mortality rates from obstetric embolism and obstetric hemorrhage were 2.3 to 2.6 times those for non-Hispanic White women. Together, these 4 causes accounted for 59% of the non-Hispanic Black‒non-Hispanic White maternal mortality disparity. Conclusions. The prominence of cardiovascular-related conditions among the leading causes of confirmed maternal death, particularly for non-Hispanic Black women, necessitates increased vigilance for cardiovascular problems during the pregnant and postpartum period. Many of these deaths are preventable.

Racial and Economic Neighborhood Segregation, Site of Delivery, and Morbidity and Mortality in Neonates Born Very Preterm

OBJECTIVE

To assess the influence of racial and economic residential segregation of home or hospital neighborhood on very preterm birth morbidity and mortality in neonates born very preterm.

STUDY DESIGN

We constructed a retrospective cohort of n = 6461 infants born <32 weeks using 2010-2014 New York City vital statistics-hospital data. We calculated racial and economic Index of Concentration at the Extremes for home and hospital neighborhoods. Neonatal mortality and morbidity was defined as death and/or severe neonatal morbidity. We estimated relative risks for Index of Concentration at the Extremes measures and neonatal mortality and morbidity using log binomial regression and the risk-adjusted contribution of delivery hospital using Fairlie decomposition.

RESULTS

Infants whose mothers live in neighborhoods with the greatest relative concentration of Black residents had a 1.6 times greater risk of neonatal mortality and morbidity than those with the greatest relative concentration of White residents (95% CI 1.2-2.1). Delivery hospital explained more than one-half of neighborhood differences. Infants with both home and hospital in high-concentration Black neighborhoods had a 38% adjusted risk of neonatal mortality and morbidity compared with 25% of those with both home and hospital high-concentration White neighborhoods (P = .045).

CONCLUSIONS

Structural racism influences very preterm birth neonatal mortality and morbidity through both the home and hospital neighborhood. Quality improvement interventions should incorporate a framework that includes neighborhood context.

Causes contributing to the excess maternal mortality risk for women 35 and over, United States, 2016-2017

To better understand age-related disparities in US maternal mortality, we analyzed 2016-2017 vital statistics mortality data with cause-of-death literal text (actual words written on the death certificate) added. We created a subset of confirmed maternal deaths which had pregnancy mentions in the cause-of-death literals. Primary cause of death was identified and recoded using cause-of-death literals. Age-related disparities were examined both overall and by primary cause. Compared to women <35, the 2016-2017 US maternal mortality rate was twice as high for women aged 35-39, four times higher for women aged 40-44, and 11 times higher for women aged 45-54 years. Obstetric hemorrhage was the leading cause of death for women aged 35+ with rates 4 times higher than for women <35, followed by postpartum cardiomyopathy with a 3-fold greater risk. Obstetric embolism, eclampsia/preeclampsia, and Other complications of obstetric surgery and procedures each had a two-fold greater risk of death for women aged 35+. Together these 5 causes of death accounted for 70.9% of the elevated maternal mortality risk for women aged 35+. The excess maternal mortality risk for women aged 35+ was focused among a few causes of death and much of this excess mortality is preventable. Early detection and treatment, as well as continued care during the postpartum year is critical to preventing these deaths. The Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health has promulgated patient safety bundles with specific interventions that health care systems can adopt in an effort to prevent these deaths.

Intertwined disparities: Applying the maternal-infant dyad lens to advance perinatal health equity

Differences in the quality of delivery hospital care contribute to persistent, intertwined racial and ethnic disparities in both maternal and infant health. Despite the shared causal pathways and overlapping burden of maternal and infant health disparities, little research on perinatal quality of care has addressed obstetric and neonatal care jointly to improve outcomes and reduce health inequities for the maternal-infant dyad. In this paper, we review the role of hospital quality in shaping perinatal health outcomes, and investigate how a framework that considers the mother-infant dyad can enhance our understanding of the full burden of obstetric and neonatal disparities on health and society. We conclude with a discussion of how integrating a maternal-infant dyad lens into research and clinical intervention to improve quality of care can move the needle on disparity reduction for both women and infants around the time of birth and throughout the life course.

Pandemic Birthing: Childbirth Satisfaction, Perceived Health Care Bias, and Postpartum Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective

To examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on birth satisfaction and perceived health care discrimination during childbirth, and in turn, the influence of these birth experiences on postpartum health.

Study Design

We conducted a cross-sectional, bilingual web survey of 237 women who gave birth at two hospitals in New York City and assessed patient-reported experience and outcomes following the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the New York region. We ascertained SARS-CoV-2 status at delivery from the electronic medical record using participant-reported name and date of birth. We compared birth experience during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 15, 2020–May 11, 2020) to a pre-pandemic response period (January 1, 2020–March 14, 2020). We estimated risk ratios for associations between birth experience and anxiety, depressive symptoms, stress, birth-related PTSD, emergency department visits, timely postpartum visit, and exclusive breastfeeding. Multivariable models adjusted for age, race-ethnicity, insurance, education, parity, BMI, previous experience of maltreatment/abuse and cesarean delivery.

Results

Women who gave birth during the peak of the pandemic response, and those that were SARS-CoV-2 positive, Black, and Latina, had lower birth satisfaction and higher perceived health care discrimination. Women with lower birth satisfaction were more likely to report higher postpartum anxiety, stress, depressive symptoms, and lower exclusive breastfeeding. Experiencing one or more incident of health care discrimination was associated with higher levels of postpartum stress and birth-related PTSD.

Conclusion

Hospitals and policy-makers should institute measures to safeguard against a negative birth experience during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among birthing people of color.

Postpartum psychiatric readmissions: A nationwide study in women with and without epilepsy

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether epilepsy is associated with increased odds of 30-day readmission due to psychiatric illness during the postpartum period.

METHODS

The 2014 Nationwide Readmissions Database and the International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes were used to identify postpartum women up to 50 years old in the United States, including the subgroup with epilepsy. The primary outcome was 30-day readmission and was categorized as (1) readmission due to psychiatric illness, (2) readmission due to all other causes, or (3) no readmission. Secondary outcome was diagnosis at readmission. The association of the primary outcome and presence of epilepsy was examined using multinomial logistic regression.

RESULTS

Of 1 558 875 women with admissions for delivery identified, 6745 (.45%) had epilepsy. Thirteen of every 10 000 women had 30-day psychiatric readmissions in the epilepsy group compared to one of every 10 000 in the no-epilepsy group (p < .0001). Of every 10 000 women with epilepsy, 256 had 30-day readmissions due to other causes compared to 115 of every 10 000 women in the no-epilepsy group (p < .0001). The odds ratio for readmission due to psychiatric illness was 10.13 (95% confidence interval = 5.48-18.72) in those with epilepsy compared to those without. Top psychiatric causes for 30-day readmissions among women with epilepsy were mood disorders, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, and substance-related disorders.

SIGNIFICANCE

This large-scale study demonstrated that postpartum women with epilepsy have higher odds of readmission due to a psychiatric illness compared to women without epilepsy. Postpartum treatment strategies and interventions to prevent psychiatric readmissions are necessary in this vulnerable population.

Perinatal care experiences among racially and ethnically diverse mothers whose infants required a NICU stay

OBJECTIVE

To learn how diverse mothers whose babies required a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay evaluate their obstetric and neonatal care.

STUDY DESIGN

We conducted three focus groups stratified by race/ethnicity (Black, Latina, White, and Asian women, n = 20) who delivered infants at <32 weeks gestation or <1500 g with a NICU stay. We asked women to assess perinatal care and applied classic qualitative analysis techniques to identify themes and make comparisons across groups.

RESULTS

Predominant themes were similar across groups, including thoroughness and consistency of clinician communication, provider attentiveness, and barriers to closeness with infants. Care experiences were largely positive, but some suggested poorer communication and responsiveness toward Black and Latina mothers.

CONCLUSION

Feeling consulted and included in infant care is critical for mothers of high-risk neonates. Further in-depth research is needed to remediate differences in hospital culture and quality that contribute to disparities in neonatal care and outcomes.

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Very Preterm Birth and Preterm Birth Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

IMPORTANCE

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may exacerbate existing racial/ethnic inequities in preterm birth.

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether racial/ethnic disparities in very preterm birth (VPTB) and preterm birth (PTB) increased during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cross-sectional study included 8026 Black, Latina, and White women who gave birth during the study period. A difference-in-differences (DID) analysis of Black vs White disparities in VPTB or PTB in a pandemic cohort was compared with a prepandemic cohort by using electronic medical records obtained from 2 hospitals in New York City.

EXPOSURES

Women who delivered from March 28 to July 31, 2020, were considered the pandemic cohort, and women who delivered from March 28 to July 31, 2019, were considered the prepandemic cohort. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction tests for the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were performed using samples obtained via nasopharyngeal swab at the time of admission.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Clinical estimates of gestational age were used to calculate VPTB (<32 weeks) and PTB (<37 weeks). Log binomial regression was performed to estimate Black vs White risk differences, pandemic cohort vs prepandemic cohort risk difference, and an interaction term representing the DID estimator. Covariate-adjusted models included age, insurance, prepregnancy body mass index, and parity.

RESULTS

Of 3834 women in the pandemic cohort, 492 (12.8%) self-identified as Black, 678 (17.7%) as Latina, 2012 (52.5%) as White, 408 (10.6%) as Asian, and 244 (6.4%) as other or unspecified race/ethnicity, with approximately half the women 25 to 34 years of age. The prepandemic cohort comprised 4192 women with similar sociodemographic characteristics. In the prepandemic cohort, VPTB risk was 4.4% (20 of 451) and PTB risk was 14.4% (65 of 451) among Black infants compared with 0.8% (17 of 2188) VPTB risk and 7.1% (156 of 2188) PTB risk among White infants. In the pandemic cohort, VPTB risk was 4.3% (21 of 491) and PTB risk was 13.2% (65 of 491) among Black infants compared with 0.5% (10 of 1994) VPTB risk and 7.0% (240 of 1994) PTB risk among White infants. The DID estimators indicated that no increase in Black vs White disparities were found (DID estimator for VPTB, 0.1 additional cases per 100 [95% CI, -2.5 to 2.8]; DID estimator for PTB, 1.1 fewer case per 100 [95% CI, -5.8 to 3.6]). The results were comparable in covariate-adjusted models when limiting the population to women who tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. No change was detected in Latina vs White PTB disparities during the pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this cross-sectional study of women who gave birth in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic, no evidence was found for increased racial/ethnic disparities in PTB, among women who tested positive or tested negative for SARS-CoV-2.

Double Disadvantage in Delivery Hospital for Black and Hispanic Women and High-Risk Infants

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether delivery hospitals that perform poorly for women also perform poorly for high-risk infants and to what extent Black and Hispanic women receive care at hospitals that perform poorly for both women and infants.

METHODS

We examined the correlation between hospital rankings for severe maternal morbidity and very preterm morbidity and mortality in New York City Hospitals using linked birth certificate and state discharge data for 2010-2014. We used mixed-effects logistic regression with a random hospital-specific intercept to generate risk standardized severe maternal morbidity rates and very preterm birth neonatal morbidity and mortality rates for each hospital. We ranked hospitals separately by these risk-standardized rates. We used k-means cluster analysis to categorize hospitals based on their performance on both metrics and risk-adjusted multinomial logistic regression to estimate adjusted probabilities of delivering in each hospital-quality cluster by race/ethnicity.

RESULTS

Hospital rankings for severe maternal morbidity and very preterm neonatal morbidity-mortality were moderately correlated (r = .32; p = .05). A 5-cluster solution best fit the data and yielded the categories for hospital performance for women and infants: excellent, good, fair, fair to poor, poor. Black and Hispanic versus White women were less likely to deliver in an excellent quality cluster (adjusted percent of 11%, 18% vs 28%, respectively, p < .001) and more likely to deliver in a poor quality cluster (adjusted percent of 28%, 20%, vs. 4%, respectively, p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTISE

Hospital performance for maternal and high-risk infant outcomes is only moderately correlated but Black and Hispanic women deliver at hospitals with worse outcomes for both women and very preterm infants.

Pre-Term Delivery and Risk of Ischemic Heart Disease in Women

BACKGROUND

Women who deliver pre-term have been reported to have increased future risks of cardiometabolic disorders. However, their long-term risks of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and whether such risks are due to shared familial factors are unclear. A better understanding of these risks may help improve long-term clinical follow-up and interventions to prevent IHD in women.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to determine the long-term risks of IHD in women by pregnancy duration.

METHODS

A national cohort study was conducted of all 2,189,190 women with a singleton delivery in Sweden from 1973 to 2015, who were followed up for IHD through the end of 2015. Cox regression was used to compute adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) for IHD associated with pregnancy duration, and cosibling analyses assessed the influence of shared familial (genetic and/or environmental) factors.

RESULTS

In 47.5 million person-years of follow-up, 49,955 (2.3%) women were diagnosed with IHD. In the 10 years following delivery, the aHR for IHD associated with pre-term delivery (<37 weeks) was 2.47 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.16 to 2.82), and further stratified was 4.04 (95% CI: 2.69 to 6.08) for extremely pre-term (22 to 27 weeks), 2.62 (95% CI: 2.09 to 3.29) for very pre-term (28 to 33 weeks), 2.30 (95% CI: 1.97 to 2.70) for late pre-term (34 to 36 weeks), and 1.47 (95% CI: 1.30 to 1.65) for early-term (37 to 38 weeks), compared with full-term (39 to 41 weeks). These risks declined but remained significantly elevated after additional follow-up (pre-term vs. full-term, 10 to 19 years: aHR: 1.86; 95% CI: 1.73 to 1.99; 20 to 29 years: aHR: 1.52; 95% CI: 1.45 to 1.59; 30 to 43 years: aHR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.32 to 1.45). These findings did not appear attributable to shared genetic or environmental factors within families. Additional pre-term deliveries were associated with further increases in risk.

CONCLUSIONS

In this large national cohort, pre-term delivery was a strong independent risk factor for IHD. This association waned over time but remained substantially elevated up to 40 years later. Pre-term delivery should be recognized as a risk factor for IHD in women across the life course.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Severe Maternal Morbidity: A Qualitative Study of Women's Experiences of Peripartum Care

INTRODUCTION

Racial and ethnic disparities in rates of maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States are striking and persistent. Despite evidence that variation in the quality of care contributes substantially to these disparities, we do not sufficiently understand how experiences of perinatal care differ by race and ethnicity among women with severe maternal morbidity.

METHODS

We conducted focus groups with women who experienced a severe maternal morbidity event in a New York City hospital during their most recent pregnancy (n = 20). We organized three focus groups by self-identified race/ethnicity ([1] Black, [2] Latina, and [3] White or Asian) to detect any within- and between-group differences. Discussions were audiotaped and transcribed. The research team coded the transcripts and used content analysis to identify key themes and to compare findings across racial and ethnic groups.

RESULTS

Participants reported distressing experiences and lasting emotional consequences after having a severe childbirth complication. Many women appreciated the life-saving care they received. However, poor continuity of care, communication gaps, and a perceived lack of attentiveness to participants' physical and emotional needs led to substantial concern and disappointment in care. Black and Latina women in particular emphasized these themes.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights missed opportunities for improved clinician communication and continuity of care to address emotional trauma when severe obstetric complications occur, particularly for Black and Latina women. Enhancing communication to ensure that women feel heard and informed throughout the birth process and addressing implicit bias, as a part of the more systemic issue of institutionalized racism, could both decrease disparities in obstetric care quality and improve the patient experience for women of all races and ethnicities.

Knowledge of the Relationship Between Breastfeeding and Breast Cancer Risk Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Women

Research indicates breastfeeding can reduce the risk of breast cancer in women. Black and Hispanic women are more likely to die from breast cancer than non-Hispanic white women and are least likely to breastfeed. The current study was designed to evaluate women's knowledge of the link between breastfeeding and decreased breast cancer risk among a racially diverse cohort of pregnant women. Pregnant women 18 and older (N = 89; 48.4% black; 28% Hispanic) were recruited during a prenatal visit to complete a survey. Women indicated limited understanding of the association between breastfeeding and breast cancer risk reduction; less than 40% of black and white women indicated knowledge, while 64.7% of Hispanic women were aware of the association. These findings underscore the need for interventions to educate women about the protective benefits of breastfeeding as a strategy to reduce their breast cancer incidence and mortality.

Trends In State Medicaid Eligibility, Enrollment Rules, And Benefits

Recent literature has focused on the impact of the differential adoption by states of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion. However, additional Medicaid policy dimensions exist where state-level trends in coverage have varied, including eligibility, benefits, and administrative burden, both before and after implementation of the Affordable Care Act.