Factors Related to the Rise of Congenital Syphilis From the Perspectives of Prenatal Providers and Birthing Parents in Chicago, IL, USA

Background: Rates of congenital syphilis (CS) in the United States have risen sharply in recent years. There has been sparse research centering the voices and experiences of birthing parents who have delivered infants with CS and prenatal providers in Chicago or the surrounding Midwestern United States to date. Additionally, there has been little research on the role of extrinsic factors, such as stigma and attitudes surrounding CS in an individual's community, in their entry into and retention in the CS prevention cascade.

Methods: Semistructured interviews seeking to gather perspectives and factors related to the rise of CS were conducted with birthing parents who delivered infants with CS at a major academic medical institution (AMI) and the prenatal providers who served them. This was supplemented by retrospective data of birthing parent outcomes.

Results: Barriers elicited during the interviews included insufficient penicillin uptake, limited transportation, poor communication between providers and patients, gaps in patient understanding or knowledge around CS contraction and treatment, missed appointments, appointment burden for patients, life stressors of patients, housing instability, childcare difficulties, and stigma related to the CS diagnosis. The quantitative data revealed differing proportions of CS outcomes and care between those with care within the AMI, those with care outside the AMI, and those who had no prenatal care.

Conclusions: This study found numerous perspectives and factors that may explain the rise of CS along various stages of the syphilis care continuum through in-depth interviews of prenatal providers and birthing parents.