The Quality of Prenatal Period Nursing Care from the Perspective of Pregnant Women

Abstract

Introduction: The quality care provided to pregnant women requires acceptance and protection, listening, involvement and commitment, as well as solving problems or having technological resources and infrastructure available. Objective: The purpose of this study is to describe how pregnant women feel about the quality of prenatal nursing care and to identify women’s expectations and needs in that regard. Materials and methods: This is a qualitative, exploratory study conducted at the Rio de Janeiro Hospital in Brazil. Twenty pregnant women took part. The technique featured individual open interviews. Bardin’s content analysis was the methodological reference. The research was approved by the Ethics Committee and the subjects were mostly married women with a high school education. Results: The results demonstrate satisfaction with the prenatal nursing care provided, but dissatisfaction with the infrastructure, material resources and the lack of birthing services. Conclusions:  The mothers had a positive view of the prenatal care being provided in terms of its meeting their expectations and needs. The quality of that care is centered on the interaction that exists among nursing professionals during the moments of truth when pregnant women are in contact with the assistance provided by nurses, from admission to discharge.