Changes in maternity care in Poland perceived by midwives working in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. A preliminary study

Introduction
The outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic necessitated rapid and unexpected changes in the health care system, including maternity care.

Aim of the study
To evaluate changes in maternity care in Poland as perceived by midwives working in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Material and methods
This cross-sectional study involved 100 midwives. This was a preliminary study conducted in April 2020. The data were obtained using an online questionnaire (CAWI method). The questionnaire link was distributed by the snowball sampling technique.

Results
Risk assessment using a 10-point visual analogue scale demonstrated that the study participants had a moderately high overall level of perceived risk due to the pandemic. The highest level of concern was recorded in connection with the perceived burden at work caused by the pandemic (mean = 7.42, SD = 1.99). The smallest concern, although still quite high, was related to the fear of contracting the virus or developing COVID-19 (mean = 5.62, SD = 2.14).

Conclusions
The study demonstrated that the need for support, conversation, and presence was the most frequent topic in requests made to midwives. The outbreak of the pandemic did not unequivocally affect interdisciplinary cooperation, cooperation with women, and the interest in maternity services provided outside the hospital. The research should be continued to obtain a larger sample size and analyse the trends developing in maternity services during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.