Beyond the First Wave: Consequences of COVID-19 on High-Risk Infants and Families

Am J Perinatol. 2020 Oct;37(12):1283-1288. doi: 10.1055/s-0040-1715839. Epub 2020 Sep 10.

Abstract

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting care for high-risk newborns in ways that will likely be sustained beyond the initial pandemic response. These novel challenges present an urgent imperative to understand how COVID-19 impacts parent, family, and infant outcomes. We highlight three areas that warrant targeted attention: (1) inpatient care: visitation policies, developmental care, and communication practices; (2) outpatient care: high-risk infant follow-up and early intervention programs; and (3) parent psychosocial distress: mental health, social support, and financial toxicity. Changes to care delivery in these areas provide an opportunity to identify and implement novel strategies to provide family-centered care during COVID-19 and beyond. KEY POINTS: · The COVID-19 pandemic is influencing care delivery for high-risk newborns and their families.. · Rapid changes to care delivery are likely to be sustained beyond the initial pandemic response.. · We have an urgent imperative to understand how COVID-19 impacts infant, parent, and family outcomes..

MeSH terms

  • Ambulatory Care*
  • Betacoronavirus
  • COVID-19
  • Communication*
  • Coronavirus Infections*
  • Cost of Illness*
  • Delivery of Health Care / methods*
  • Early Intervention, Educational
  • Hospitalization*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Intensive Care Units, Neonatal
  • Mental Health
  • Organizational Policy
  • Pandemics*
  • Parents / psychology*
  • Pediatrics
  • Perinatal Care*
  • Pneumonia, Viral*
  • Professional-Family Relations
  • Risk
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Social Support
  • Telemedicine
  • Telephone
  • Videoconferencing
  • Visitors to Patients