Quality of nursing appointments in routine prenatal care

Abstract

The objective of this study has been to evaluate the quality of nursing appointments in routine prenatal care. This is a descriptive study, conducted in Redenção, Ceará, Brazil, based on the non-participant observation of five nurses, each in three prenatal appointments, amounting to fifteen observations, subsidized by a check-list form with variables recommended by the Ministry of Health in the strategy of the Quality Care Program (PROQUALI). The results show that the care was considered satisfactory for the issue of reception and partially satisfactory for anamnesis, health guidelines, and physical examination. Thus, prenatal care has been classified as partially satisfactory, since activities essential to the promotion of an uneventful gestation were not performed. This brings the need for investments in human resources development and greater monitoring of the quality of the care by managers.