The rapid evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City during the spring of 2020 challenged the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center to rely on its core values to respond effectively. In particular, five core values, "5 C's," were engaged: Communication; Collaboration; Continuity; Community; and Culture. Beginning on March 11, 2020, the Department of Ob/Gyn used these values to navigate an unprecedented public health crisis, continuing to deliver care to the women and families of New York City, to protecting and supporting its team, and to sharing its lessons learned with the national and international women's health community.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This study aimed to (1) determine to what degree prenatal care was able to be transitioned to telehealth at prenatal practices associated with two affiliated hospitals in New York City during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and (2) describe providers' experience with this transition.
Study Design: Trends in whether prenatal care visits were conducted in-person or via telehealth were analyzed by week for a 5-week period from March 9 to April 12 at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC)-affiliated prenatal practices in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic. Visits were analyzed for maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) and general obstetrical faculty practices, as well as a clinic system serving patients with public insurance.
As New York City became an international epicenter of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, telehealth was rapidly integrated into prenatal care at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, an academic hospital system in Manhattan. Goals of implementation were to consolidate in-person prenatal screening, surveillance, and examinations into fewer in-person visits while maintaining patient access to ongoing antenatal care and subspecialty consultations via telehealth virtual visits. The rationale for this change was to minimize patient travel and thus risk for COVID-19 exposure.
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