Armenda Bialas

Purpose: Perinatal behavioral health conditions are a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Telehealth can reduce access barriers, but availability of implementation guidance specific to the perinatal period is unknown. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive environmental scan of 71 organizational websites and nine semi-structured clinician interviews to identify clinician-facing telehealth implementation resources geared towards those practicing in the United States. Results: Twenty organizations (28%) published perinatal telehealth materials; sixteen provided nineteen unique resources specific to perinatal telebehavioral health. Most resources ( n = 14) provided broad guidance relevant to the perinatal period, while six addressed prenatal telehealth care. No resources provided postpartum-specific guidance. Interviews revealed mixed perspectives on the adequacy of clinical guidance resources. Conclusion: Limited and outdated resources, particularly the absence of postpartum‑specific guidance, suggest the need for coordinated, perinatal‑specific telebehavioral health implementation materials.

Introduction Studies on the impacts of COVID-19 on patient safety are emerging. However, few studies have elicited the perspectives of front-line clinicians. Methods We interviewed clinicians from 16 US hospitals who worked in the emergency department, intensive care unit or inpatient unit during the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked about their experiences with both clinician well-being and patient care throughout the pandemic. We used a rigorous thematic analysis to code the interview transcripts. This study was part of a larger randomised control trial of an intervention to improve healthcare worker well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic; the findings described here draw from clinicians who spontaneously raised issues related to patient safety. Results 11 physicians and 16 nurses in our sample raised issues related to patient safety. We identified two primary themes: (1) compromised access to healthcare and (2) impaired care delivery. First, clinicians discussed how changes in access to healthcare early in the pandemic–including a shift to telehealth and deferred care–led to delays in accurate diagnosis and patients presenting later in their disease course. Second, clinicians discussed the effects of COVID-19 on care delivery related to staffing, equipment shortages and space constraints and how they deviated from the standard of care to manage these constraints. Clinicians noted how these issues led to patient safety events such as central line infections, patient falls and serious medication administration errors. Conclusions Several well-intentioned interventions implemented in the early weeks of the pandemic created a unique context that affected patient safety throughout the pandemic. Future pandemic preparedness should consider planning that incorporates a patient safety lens to mitigate further harm from occurring during a public health crisis.