Papers of the Week

It has been hypothesized that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have changed the conduct of obstetric practices at the time of labor, delivery, and birth. In Brazil, many practices lacking scientific evidence are implemented in this care, which is charcaterized by excessive use of unnecessary interventions. This scenario may have been worsened by the pandemic. Thus, we analyzed the effects of the pandemic on care during prenatal care and delivery by comparing the results of two surveys (one was administered before the pandemic and the other during the pandemic) in public hospitals in Belo Horizonte – Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil.