How Did the Coronavirus Pandemic Affect Health Care Provided by OBGYNs?

A new KFF survey of obstetrician-gynecologists (OBGYNs) offers insight into how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the provision of sexual and reproductive health care, including the growth of telehealth and the ongoing challenges and limitations of such medical visits.

Key findings from the survey, which was conducted from July to September 2020, include:

• The majority of OBGYNs worry that patients who have experienced delays in sexual and reproductive health care will face negative health consequences as a result and most also say it has been more difficult to provide reproductive health care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• While few OBGYNs reported using telehealth visits prior to the pandemic, the vast majority had incorporated them by the summer. Almost all reported some type of challenge associated with telehealth visits.
• Almost all OBGYNs reported continuing in-person contraceptive services, but half are prescribing hormonal contraceptive pills via telehealth.
• The majority of OBGYNs reported that their practice had experienced at least one financial or staffing challenge; more than half reported a decline in patients seeking care.