Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36647021›Full record

ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2023

Comparison of adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes using archival medical records before and during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo: a facility-based, retrospective cohort study.

Patrick J Arena, Camille Dzogang, Adva Gadoth, Dalau Mukadi Nkamba, Nicole A Hoff, David Kampilu, Michael Beia, Hui-Lee Wong, Steven A Anderson, Didine Kaba and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Patrick J ArenaDepartment of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA. patarena@ucla.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3024-771X
Camille DzogangUCLA-DRC Health Research and Training Program, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Adva GadothDepartment of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Dalau Mukadi NkambaKinshasa School of Public Health, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Nicole A HoffDepartment of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
David KampiluUCLA-DRC Health Research and Training Program, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Michael BeiaUCLA-DRC Health Research and Training Program, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Hui-Lee WongOffice of Biostatistics and Pharmacovigilance, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.
Steven A AndersonOffice of Biostatistics and Pharmacovigilance, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.
Didine KabaKinshasa School of Public Health, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Anne W RimoinDepartment of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
University of California, Los Angeles · USUnited States Food and Drug Administration · USUniversity of Kinshasa · CD

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLittle research has been conducted on the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on either birth outcomes or the ability of archival medical records to accurately capture these outcomes. Our study objective is thus to compare the prevalence of preterm birth, stillbirth, low birth weight (LBW), small for gestational age (SGA), congenital microcephaly, and neonatal bloodstream infection (NBSI) before and during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

methodsWe conducted a facility-based retrospective cohort study in which identified cases of birth outcomes were tabulated at initial screening and subcategorized according to level of diagnostic certainty using Global Alignment of Immunization Safety Assessment in pregnancy (GAIA) definitions. Documentation of any birth complications, delivery type, and maternal vaccination history were also evaluated. The prevalence of each birth outcome was compared in the pre-COVID-19 (i.e., July 2019 to February 2020) and intra-COVID-19 (i.e., March to August 2020) periods via two-sample z-test for equality of proportions.

resultsIn total, 14,300 birth records were abstracted. Adverse birth outcomes were identified among 22.0% and 14.3% of pregnancies in the pre-COVID-19 and intra-COVID-19 periods, respectively. For stillbirth, LBW, SGA, microcephaly, and NBSI, prevalence estimates were similar across study periods. However, the prevalence of preterm birth in the intra-COVID-19 period was significantly lower than that reported during the pre-COVID-19 period (8.6% vs. 11.5%, p < 0.0001). Furthermore, the level of diagnostic certainty declined slightly across all outcomes investigated from the pre-COVID-19 to the intra-COVID-19 period. Nonetheless, diagnostic certainty was especially low for certain outcomes (i.e., stillbirth and NBSI) regardless of period; still, other outcomes, such as preterm birth and LBW, had moderate to high levels of diagnostic certainty. Results were mostly consistent when the analysis was focused on the facilities designated for COVID-19 care.

conclusionThis study succeeded in providing prevalence estimates for key adverse birth outcomes using GAIA criteria during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kinshasa, DRC. Furthermore, our study adds crucial real-world data to the literature surrounding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and neonatal services and outcomes in Africa.

Indexed as

COVID-19MicrocephalyPregnancy ComplicationsPremature BirthDemocratic Republic of the CongoFemaleFetal Growth RetardationHumansInfant, NewbornMedical RecordsPandemicsPregnancyRetrospective StudiesStillbirthAdverse birth outcomesCOVID-19Democratic Republic of CongoGAIAMaternal immunizationMedical records

Identifiers

PMID36647021
PMCPMC9841139
OpenAlexW4316369274

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.