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The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Care of Pregnant Women with a Focus on Those who Use Substances: Lessons for the Future

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 June 2025

Caitlin Green Open the ORCID record for Caitlin Green [Opens in a new window] ,
Amy Board ,
Claudia Squire ,
Elizabeth T. Adams ,
Shin Y. Kim ,
Jill A. Brown ,
Peyton Williams ,
Raahina Malik ,
Kara Polen  and
Suzanne M. Gilboa
...Show all authors
Caitlin Green*
Affiliation:
Division of Birth Defects and Infant Disorders, https://ror.org/042twtr12Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA
Amy Board
Affiliation:
Division of Birth Defects and Infant Disorders, https://ror.org/042twtr12Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA
Claudia Squire
Affiliation:
Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
Elizabeth T. Adams
Affiliation:
Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
Shin Y. Kim
Affiliation:
Division of Birth Defects and Infant Disorders, https://ror.org/042twtr12Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA
Jill A. Brown
Affiliation:
Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
Peyton Williams
Affiliation:
Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
Raahina Malik
Affiliation:
Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
Kara Polen
Affiliation:
Division of Birth Defects and Infant Disorders, https://ror.org/042twtr12Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA
Suzanne M. Gilboa
Affiliation:
Division of Birth Defects and Infant Disorders, https://ror.org/042twtr12Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA
Kathryn Miele
Affiliation:
Division of Birth Defects and Infant Disorders, https://ror.org/042twtr12Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA
*
Corresponding author: Caitlin Green; Email: lkj8@cdc.gov
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Abstract

Objectives

About 13% of pregnant women with substance use disorder (SUD) receive treatment and many may encounter challenges in accessing perinatal care, making it critical for this population to receive uninterrupted care during a global pandemic.

Methods

From October 2021-January 2022, we conducted an online survey of pregnant and postpartum women and interviews with clinicians who provide care to this population. The survey was administered to pregnant and postpartum women who used substances or received SUD treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

Two hundred and ten respondents completed the survey. All respondents experienced pandemic-related barriers to routine health care services, including delays in prenatal care and SUD treatment. Disruptions in treatment were due to patient factors (38.2% canceled an appointment) and clinic factors (25.5% had a clinic cancel their appointment). Respondents were generally satisfied with telehealth (M = 3.97, SD = 0.82), though half preferred a combination of in-person and telehealth visits. Clinicians reported telehealth improved health care access for patients, however barriers were still observed.

Conclusions

Although strategies were employed to mitigate barriers in care during COVID-19, pregnant and postpartum women who used substances still experienced barriers in receiving consistent care. Telehealth may be a useful adjunct to enhance care access for pregnant and postpartum women during public health crises.

Keywords

pregnancysubstance usetreatmentCOVID-19emergency preparednesshealth care facilities and servicesvulnerable populations
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 19 , 2025 , e154
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc

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