PRIMARY HEALTH CARE NURSE’S PERCEPTION OF THE BIRTH PLAN IN PRENATAL CARE

Abstract

The Birth Plan is an information tool for pregnant women during their birth. One of the roles of the professional nurse during prenatal care is to present this plan, encouraging the empowerment of women and their autonomy throughout their pregnancy, delivery and postpartum. The objective of the study was to understand the perception of Primary Health Care (PHC) nurses regarding the prenatal Birth Plan. This is a qualitative research with a descriptive approach. Participants were from nine Basic Health Units (BHU) in Porto Alegre, which is part of the teaching district affiliated with the University. Inclusion criteria were determined for all nurses who agreed to participate in the research, with at least 6 months of professional practice at the BHU and as exclusion criteria for professionals on leave or on vacation. A questionnaire sent via Google Forms, with questions about the sociodemographic profile of the participants, was used and the nurses also participated in a focus group via the Zoom platform. The results showed weaknesses in nurses' knowledge about the Birth Plan, requiring expansion of studies to better understand the use of the birth plan as a care tool and a greater incentive for nurses' ongoing education. Lack of training and qualifications, hospital non-adherence to the tool and issues related to the work process in PHC (lack of time, high demand for tasks and information in prenatal consultations, need to meet goals in care) were identified barriers for the implementation of the Birth Plan. The challenge of implementing the Birth Plan by the nursing team persists, including an in-depth study on the subject to qualify prenatal care.