Virtual Versus In-Person Prenatal Care Screenings Among Pregnant Women in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-2021.

OBJECTIVE

The use of virtual prenatal care is rising, but its effect on the content of care is largely unknown. We examined prenatal care screenings for pregnant women in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021) and assessed differences in those screenings by mode of prenatal care (ie, any virtual prenatal care vs exclusively in-person care).

METHODS

We used Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System Phase 8 data. Our analytical sample included mothers who gave birth in 2020 and 2021, received prenatal care, and answered both the mode of prenatal care question and all prenatal care screening questions (N = 22 991). The analytical sample included 28 study sites across the United States.

RESULTS

Mothers who used any virtual prenatal care had greater adjusted odds than mothers who used in-person care only of being screened about their knowledge of gestational weight gain (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.18; 95% CI, 1.08-1.30), cigarette use (AOR = 1.26; 95% CI, 1.02-1.54), alcohol use (AOR = 1.23; 95% CI, 1.01-1.49), intimate partner violence (IPV) (AOR = 1.72; 95% CI, 1.54-1.92), depression (AOR = 1.65; 95% CI, 1.46-1.86), substance use (AOR = 1.41; 95% CI, 1.26-1.59), HIV testing (AOR = 1.33; 95% CI, 1.22-1.46), planned breastfeeding (AOR = 1.55; 95% CI, 1.34-1.78), and planned postpartum birth control (AOR = 1.42; 95% CI, 1.27-1.60).

CONCLUSIONS

The greatest benefit of virtual prenatal care may be for screening of IPV. However, we cannot definitively attribute increased odds of screenings to virtual care. Further investigation is warranted.