In-person clinic visits not tied to increased COVID-19 risk: US study
The analysis, published in the journal JAMA, found no association between the number of in-person health care visits and risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2.
"One major concern in obstetrics, but also in general medicine, is that patients are avoiding necessary medical care because of fear of contracting COVID-19 in a health care setting, but there was no indication that in-person health care affects risk of infection," said Sharon Reale, an attending anesthesiologist at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in the US.
"Our study provides important evidence that we can do in-person visits safely. Our findings should be reassuring for our obstetrical patients that when they come to the hospital for appointments, they are not increasing their risk of infection," Reale said.
While some patients could benefit from virtual visits via telemedicine during the spring, pregnant patients are a unique population, the researchers said.
Many require multiple, in-person visits for measurements, exams and lab tests to ensure the health of both mother and baby or babies, they said.
In the study, Reale and colleagues looked at patients in four Mass General Brigham hospitals delivering between April 19 and June 27, 2020.
The researchers used a case-control approach in which patients who tested positive were matched to those who tested negative (controls) based on gestational age, race/ethnicity, insurance type and the rate of COVID-19 in the patients' zip code.
The team also adjusted for age, body mass index and essential worker occupation.
Of close to 3,000 women who delivered during the study period, 111 patients tested positive, according to the researchers.
On average, patients who tested positive attended 3.1 visits in person and patients who tested negative attended an average of 3.3 visits in person.
The researchers conclude that there was no meaningful association between in-person visits and infection among the patients studied.
They noted that their patient population included obstetrical patients only, and future studies will be needed to confirm if the findings extend to other patients.
Reale also notes that Mass General Brigham adopted universal masking early on to help reduce transmission.
"Results will need to be replicated outside of obstetrics, but this should be reassuring and indicate that necessary and important care should be done and can be done safely," said Reale. SAR SAR