INSERTION OF THE BIRTH PLAN IN THE PRENATAL CONSULTATION IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
Nurse. Planning. Childbirth. Care. Prenatal.
The Birth Plan (PP) is a way to better manage the assistance provided by professional nurses to women undergoing prenatal care. The objective of this research is to analyze the insertion of the birth plan in the prenatal consultation of primary health care. To carry out this study, a qualitative approach was chosen, carried out through the adoption of the participatory research methodology. The research was developed in the city of Santa Cruz, in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, carried out in six Basic Health Units, five of which are located in urban areas and one in rural areas of the municipality. Six of the twelve nurses who make up the PHC nursing staff studied responded to the questionnaire. The presentation of the results is organized into categories respecting the subject proposed by this research, namely: Birth plan: a planning and empowerment tool for pregnant women; Professionals' perceptions about the use of the birth plan, and difficulties in creating this tool; Continuing education on the birth plan for professional nurses. The results showed that although some nurses demonstrated knowledge of the PP, the majority stated that they did not carry out birth planning using the PP and stated that there was a lot of insecurity regarding its application. Nurses suggest the need for continued
education in the area so that actions can be applied more successfully. There is a limitation regarding the knowledge and application of this instrument (birth plan) by PHC nurses, highlighting the importance of continuing education.