Opportunities for nurse midwives to bring change to the hegemonic model of obstetrics

Abstract

Objective: to describe the use of care technologies by residency-qualified nurse midwives and their relationship with professional praxis. Method: in this qualitative study with 13 nurse midwives at two public maternity hospitals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, data were collected by individual, semi-structured interview and hermeneutic-dialectic analysis. Results: the transition from the interventionist model builds on humanized care by incorporating a model centered on nurse midwives’ use of best practices and noninvasive care technologies. Their praxis contributes to qualitative change in this scenario by reinstating physiology, fostering stronger bonding, and empowering women, so as to re-signify the moment of childbirth. Conclusion: nurse midwives’ praxis and use of noninvasive technologies constitute opportunities to break with the culturally established model hegemonic in Brazil, while a consensus still needs to be built to surmount common sense.