Evaluation of the quality of Prenatal Care in Brazil

Authors

  • Leandro Alves da Luz Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA)
  • Rosana Aquino Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA)
  • Maria Guadalupe Medina Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA)

Keywords:

Health evaluation. Primary Health Care. Family Health Strategy. Prenatal care. Maternal and child health.

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the characteristics of the structure of the health units and  the management and assistance processes of Prenatal Care (PNC) within the scope of Primary Health Care  (PHC) in Brazil, in municipalities that joined the  National Program for Access and Quality  Improvement in Primary Care (PMAQ-AB). This is a  normative evaluation with data from 16.566 family  health teams that joined the PMAQ-AB. The structure of the  basic units and the actions provided by the teams did  not comply with the majority of the standards,  highlighting the existence of structural barriers,  unavailability of medicines and essential tests,  problems in the provision of the cast of assistance  actions, involving individual attention and clinical care, as well as health promotion and collective and  domiciliary actions offered. It is concluded that,  despite the high coverage of PNC and its  institutionalization in PHC services, problems persist  that must be addressed by governmental initiatives  that guarantee comprehensive attention and quality  in the pregnancy-puerperal cycle and that have  repercussions on the improvement of health  indicators of maternal and child health.

Published

2023-06-02

How to Cite

1.
Luz LA da, Aquino R, Medina MG. Evaluation of the quality of Prenatal Care in Brazil. Saúde debate [Internet]. 2023 Jun. 2 [cited 2025 Mar. 14];42(especial 2 out):111-26. Available from: https://saudeemdebate.emnuvens.com.br/sed/article/view/835