Prenatal nursing consultation: Narratives of pregnant women and nurses

Abstract

Objective: analyze the prenatal nursing consultation from the perspectives of pregnant women and nurses. Method: qualitative and descriptive study, involving 20 pregnant women and four nurses, at a primary health care service located in the city of São Luís/Maranhão (Brazil). The data were collected through semistructured interviews, participant observation and a focus group and analyzed based on the premises of thematic analysis. Results: the pregnant women expressed their satisfaction with the physical examination, highlighting that the welcoming. Complaints were made on the nurses’ technical competence, specifically regarding counseling on urinary tract infection. Some facilities were highlighted after the implementation of the Estratégia Rede Cegonha, mainly in the scheduling of appointments. The following difficulties were mentioned: lack of some prescribed drugs and long terms for carrying out and receiving preventive examinations. Conclusion: the pregnant women assessed the nursing consultation as very good, but they tend to attribute the logistic difficulties at the Health Center (lack of inputs) and even the forwarding to the medical professional (prescription of drugs to obtain outside the Health Center) to the nurses. Based on the research, relevant points could be identified that can influence positive criticism against the nursing consultation, as it constitutes more than half of clinical prenatal care in Brazil and can also change the conditions sensitive to hospitalization in primary care.