The Effects of Telehealth During Pregnancy on Maternal Knowledge and Postpartum Mental Health in the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic caused changes in health services, especially Antenatal Care (ANC)
because pregnant women are at risk of contracting Covid-19 so telehealth is one of the methods developed
to make ANC more effective and efficient. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between telehealth
during pregnancy on knowledge and mental health of postpartum mothers
Methods : The research method uses a case-control where there are two groups of samples. The case group
consisted of 30 postpartum mothers who received telehealth (routine online monitoring and counseling)
during pregnancy, while the control group consisted of 27 postpartum mothers who did not receive
telehealth during pregnancy. Samples were taken using a random sampling technique with inclusion criteria
are postpartum mothers who received online monitoring and counseling during pregnancy routinely by
volunteer mothers. The exclusion criteria were postpartum mothers who did not routinely receive online
monitoring and counselling. Statistical analysis used Wilcoxon Mann Whitney, Chi-Square, and Fisher
Exact tests.
Conclusions:The telehealth has influenced the maternal knowledge but it will necessary to develop a
telehealth strategy that contribute to the mental health of mother during the postpartum period.