Date of Award

12-1-2021

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MSc in Nursing

First Advisor

Dr Rafat Jan

Second Advisor

Dr Salma Rattani

Third Advisor

Ms. Kiran Mubeen

Department

School of Nursing and Midwifery, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Pregnant women in the remote areas of Pakistan usually encounter more issues related to availability and accessibility to equitable and quality maternal care services. However, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with persistent lockdown, added more to the experiences and challenges of pregnant women around the globe.
/="/">Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore the experiences of pregnant women during the COVID-19 lockdown, in a remote area of Pakistan, district Hunza, in Gilgit Baltistan.
/="/">Methodology: A qualitative descriptive exploratory design was used in this study. A total of 16 pregnant women were selected as study participants, using purposive sampling, from each basic health units of six districts, under the main district of Hunza in Gilgit Baltistan. In-depth individual interviews were carried out using a semi-structured study guide to collect the data. Data was analyzed using Creswell’s (2013) criteria for content analysis.
/="/">Findings: The findings revealed four major themes: (i) lack of accessibility to maternal care during lockdown, (ii) fears and anxieties of COVID-19, (iii) enhanced acceptability of COVID-19, and (iv) strategies to improve maternal care delivery in future pandemics. The findings revealed that pregnant women faced difficulties in accessing maternal care services during the COVID-19 lockdown, as well as they experienced heightened fear and anxieties about either contracting COVID-19 infection or transmitting it to the newborns. Moreover, exceptional family support and the effective role played by the health care providers helped the participants to cope with and adapt to the crisis of the pandemic lockdown.
/="/">Conclusion: It is concluded that the pandemic lockdown made the accessibility to health care more difficult and created and heightened fear and anxiety among pregnant women, leading to negative psychosocial impact. But, resilience and adaptability throughout the crisis of the pandemic lockdown was achieved among pregnant women with exceptional support from the family and through the efficient and effective role of health care providers.

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