key: cord-0906634-fz51d1m9 authors: Elhadi, Muhammed; Msherghi, Ahmed; Elgzairi, Moutaz; Alsuyihili, Ali; Elkhafeefi, Fatimah; Bouhuwaish, Ahmad; Biala, Marwa title: Assessment of the preparedness of obstetrics and gynecology healthcare systems during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Libya date: 2020-07-07 journal: Int J Gynaecol Obstet DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.13273 sha: aa57b39b08ff0227a444a4b3ec5f635111005a13 doc_id: 906634 cord_uid: fz51d1m9 An adequate strategy is urgently required during the COVID‐19 pandemic for screening pregnant women and newborns, increasing infection control measures, and supplying personal protective equipment and hospital equipment. Cases of COVID-19 have been reported in neonates, and although these were either asymptomatic or non-severe, 1 it is apparent that obstetricians are at increased risk of infection. As a result, safety procedures must be reinforced by ensuring the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the application of infection control measures. 2 Currently, there is a shortage of PPE and inadequate training for obstetricians, especially in countries with limited resources. It is therefore important to assess the preparedness of such countries and to implement screening for patients admitted to obstetric units in order to reduce risk for healthcare workers. The successful control of a pandemic depends on several factors, including the skills of healthcare practitioners and the resources allocated to hospitals. Currently, many hospitals and healthcare programs have collapsed, leading to crises inside hospitals due to a lack of personnel, fatigue, and other factors. Concerns have arisen about countries with limited resources in terms of their preparedness for managing the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a cross-sectional survey in mid-April 2020 among 200 obstetricians working in Libya to assess their preparedness to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide an overview of the impact of COVID-19 on the Libyan healthcare system. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 25 (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). Descriptive data were reported using frequency and percentage, while continuous data were described using mean and standard deviation. Ethical approval was obtained from the Bioethics Committee at the Biotechnology Research Center in Libya. All participants provided consent before participation. Table 1 provides an overview of the study participants' profiles. The survey response rate was 86.5% (173 participants), 3.5% (7) of which were male. Approximately 70.5% (122) were obstetric trainees, whereas 29.5% (51) were specialist or consultant obstetricians. Approximately 67.1% (116) worked in university-affiliated hospitals and the rest in rural or private hospitals. We found that 74.6% (129) reported that COVID-19 has negatively impacted their ability to work: 19.7% (34) felt stigmatized by people around them due to their work as obstetricians during the pandemic; 22% (38) felt their work was undervalued; 10.4% (18) felt their work was not appreciated, while only 11% (19) felt that their job was recognized. T A B L E 2 Survey questionnaire on preparedness and attitudes of obstetricians working in Libyan healthcare facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. ME conceptualized and designed the study, analyzed the data, drafted the initial manuscript and revised the manuscript. AM, ME, AA, FE, AB, MB collected data, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript as submitted and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work. The authors have no conflicts of interest. Clinical characteristics and risk assessment of newborns born to mothers with COVID-19 Obstetricians on the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) front lines and the confusing world of personal protective equipment Are you familiar with the testing criteria to order a screening test for COVID-19? Have you received information regarding how to handle COVID-19 cases in your healthcare facility? practitioner during the COVID-19 pandemic?