Evaluation of pre-natal care from the perspective of different models in primary care

Abstract

Objectives: to evaluate the quality of the pre-natal care delivered in primary care, comparing the traditional model and the Family Health Strategy. Method: a service evaluation study, grounded in the public health policies. The data was obtained from interviews with managers, observation in the health centers, and analysis of patient records of pregnant women, selected at random. Differences in the indicators for structure and process were evaluated using the Chi-squared test, adopting p<0.05 as the critical value, calculation of the odds ratio, and confidence intervals of 95%. Results: Similar structures were evidenced in both models of care. Synthesis indicators for the process created in the present study, and those indicated by the public policies, indicated that the situation is more favorable in Family Health Centers. Regarding the set of activities called for in pre-natal care, the performance was flawed in both models, although it was slightly better in the Family Health Centers. Conclusion: the results indicate the need for actions to improve pre-natal care in the two models of primary care evaluated in the municipality.