The transformation of nurses’ obstetrical practice in humanized birth care

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The objective of this qualitative study was to describe the practices performed by obstetrical nurses in hospitals, in view of the implementation of the humanized model for birth care. The participants were 11 obstetrical nurses from six municipal maternity hospitals in Rio de Janeiro/Brazil. Data were collected through interviews performed between January and March of 2009, and submitted to thematic content analysis based on the concepts proposed by Pierre Bourdieu. Results showed that the studied nurses incorporated new knowledge that were added to their professional habitus, creating practices that eventually broke with the reproduction of the biomedical model in the field of obstetrics. In conclusion, many obstetrical nurses restructured their obstetrical care practice when implementing the policy of humanized birth care, focusing their practice on encouraging the woman’s leading role regarding birth physiology.

Descriptors: Humanizing Delivery; Women's Health; Obstetrical Nursing.