Physicians’ perception of obstetric or institutional violence in the subtle dimension of the human and physician-patient relationship

Abstract

Initiatives in search of effective changes in obstetric care and the claiming for social recognition of obstetric or institutional violence are current phenomena, the result of a multidimensional reflection on what constitutes the act of giving birth. In order to identify the perception of obstetricians who provide childbirth assistance in a humanized maternity in South Brazil, this research was proposed on a qualitative epistemological basis. The data was collected by means of a questionnaire answered by 23 physicians and analyzed by the content analysis method by thematic approach. We deepened the aspects of obstetric violence perceived in the dimension of the human and medical-patient relationship during their encounter and interaction, the limits of women’s autonomy in a professional perspective, the challenges when there is disagreement of opinions for decision-making, as well as reflections on the violence to which the medical professionals perceive themselves being submitted to.