Pregnant physicians and cardiovascular team members with self-reported work-related stressors were more likely to experience complications, according to a study being presented at ACC.26 and simultaneously published in JACC: Advances.

Estefania Oliveros Soles, MD, FACC, et al., contacted 6,786 randomly selected women of the ACC with an email survey including questions about prepregnancy medical conditions and lifestyle, age and work environment during pregnancy, and pregnancy complications and outcomes. The survey was endorsed by the ACC Cardiovascular Disease in Women Committee, the ACC Women in Cardiology Leadership Council and the ACC Cardiovascular Team Section Leadership Council. Overall, 921 pregnancies in 273 physicians and 211 cardiovascular team members were included in the analysis.

The investigators found that 39% of respondents experienced at least one pregnancy or fetal complication. Several factors were associated with complications, including being unpartnered during pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.439, 95% CI 1.048-11.283), fertility treatments (aOR 1.552, 95% CI 1.037-2.323), additional work duties during pregnancy (aOR 1.402, 95% CI 1.015-1.936) and inflexible work schedules (aOR 1.495, 95% CI 1.084-2.062).

Nearly 40% of complicated pregnancies also saw fetal complications such as preterm birth, low birth weight and small-for-gestational-age.

Oliveros and colleagues discuss several study limitations including the survey's low response rate (9%) and that outcomes were self-reported. They acknowledge that "survey participants may not have been fully representative of the total cardiovascular patient care team."

Nevertheless, the authors share that certain efforts to alleviate work-related stressors for pregnant physicians and cardiovascular team members may help improve outcomes. "Solutions for improving work conditions for the pregnant cardiologist and [cardiovascular team] member could include adjusted call responsibilities, schedule flexibility, providing appropriate coverage during and after pregnancy, and having institutional policies that discuss mechanisms to accommodate work duties during pregnancy and the postpartum period as well as support breast feeding," they write.

Keywords: ACC Annual Scientific Session, ACC26, Personnel Staffing and Scheduling, Postpartum Period, Organizational Policy, Patient Care Team, Pregnancy, Cardiologists