Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia Department of Obstetric and Gynaecology Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Monash University Australia
2
Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
3
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia Jakarta, Indonesia
4
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Australia
10.22074/ijfs.2023.562118.1381
Abstract
Background: COVID-19 pandemic led to reduction or even the suspension of elective health services that also affected In-vitro Fertilization (IVF) programs worldwide. This paper aimed to map the changes in the number and domiciles of patients attending IVF clinics in Jakarta during the COVID-19 pandemic and clinics’ preparedness in facing the pandemic.
Method: This is mixed-method research that involved three IVF clinics in Jakarta. The qualitative data was obtained from semi-structured interviews with the clinics’ health and management staff. The quantitative data were collected from the clinics’ medical records. Both data sets were analysed descriptively. For the quantitative analysis, Strata version 16 was used.
Results: There were changes in the domiciles and number of patients attending the three clinics. The ratio of patients from Jakarta increased while patients from outside Java Island decreased. For patient numbers, there was a drop in annual patient numbers in 2020. However, from June 2020 to December 2021, the number of monthly IVF cycles increased significantly by 3.5 cycles per month (p=0.001). There was no association between IVF patients’ attendance numbers and COVID-19 cases (p=0.785). Even though two out of three clinics had the highest number of patients in 2019, one of the clinics had a negative pressure operating theatre. This facility also made them more confident in treating patients with COVID-19 positive, which made them even had higher IVF cycles started than the pre-pandemic period. The preparedness in facing COVID-19 pandemic was already sufficient based on the general healthcare services regulations.
Conclusion: The study found that travel restrictions generally affected patients from outside Jakarta to travel to IVF clinics in Jakarta due to related variables, including COVID-19 related travel restrictions, unpredictable public health regulations, and the risk of not being able to continue the treatment due to positive results of COVID-19 testing.
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