Pregnancy Outcomes Related to COVID-19

Abstract

Starting in late 2019, COVID-19 began to spread rapidly through the United States. This stretched our healthcare system thin and healthcare providers were left with questions on how to treat vulnerable populations, including pregnant women. COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory illness but has shown to negatively affect other body systems as well (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (2022b). From January 2020 to July 2022, a total of 225,656 pregnant women had COVID-19 during gestation. The U.S Government and Accountability office (2022) reported that 25% of maternal deaths were due to COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021. This Evidenced-Based Practice (EBP) review is comparing maternal complications of women who were infected with COVID-19 while pregnant to women who did not get the illness during gestation. Complications of pregnancy include preterm labor, miscarriage, postpartum hemorrhage, sepsis, and even death. EBP allows healthcare providers to give top quality care. If nurses understand what complications women are at risk for if infected with COVID-19, labor and delivery teams may be better prepared for complications that may arise.