Reduction of inequities of access to appropriate childbirth care in Rede Cegonha

Factors intervening in the childbirth experience: a mixed-methods study

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the childbirth experience focusing on the intervening factors and on the delivery method.

METHOD

A sequential and explanatory mixed-methods study guided by the World Health Organization document for positive childbirth experiences. The participants were puerperal women in a maternity teaching hospital from inland São Paulo (Brazil). The first quantitative stage involved descriptive analysis with Poisson regression of 265 answers to the "Termômetro da Iniciativa Hospital Amigo da Mulher e da Criança" ("Women- and Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative Thermometer") questionnaire. The second stage, qualitative, thematically analyzed the interviews conducted with 44 puerperal women who took part in the first stage. Data integration was by connection.

THE RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The analysis by connection showed that among the factors that restricted the positive experience, C-section was predominant (61.9%), understood as an option due to fear of pain, the treatment modality and previous traumas. Restrictions referring to the presence of a companion (99.6%), not having privacy (83%), disrespectful situations (69.5%), too many touches (56.9%) and the absence of skin-to-skin contact (55%), among others, potentiated fear, loneliness, concern, shame, the perception of disrespect and insecurity with the assistance provided. The promoting factors were as follows: choosing the companion (95.4%) for collaborating in the safety perception, not having infections (83.9%), having continuous team monitoring (82.2%) and pain relief methods (78.9%), which were valued by the women.

CONCLUSION

The intervening factors that promoted positive experiences were related to clinical and protocol-related issues and to service availability. The restrictive factors were associated with excess interventions, deprivation of rights and of choice, absence of privacy and restriction referring to the presence of a companion. Women with a normal postpartum period felt more insecure and disrespected when compared to those subjected to C-sections, whose choices were considered, although they had lower prevalence of skin-to-skin contact. There is an urgent need to apprehend women's experiences and turn them into actions that guarantee their lives in a safe and respectful way.

[Access to neonatal healthcare services: analysis of displacement networks between municipalities in the State of Paraná, Brazil]

This study aimed to characterize hospitalizations of residents in Paraná State, Brazil, that occurred during the neonatal period in a municipality different from their place of residence from 2008 to 2019, and to describe displacement networks for the first and last biennium of the series, corresponding to periods before and after initiatives to regionalize health services in the state. Admissions of children aged from 0 to 27 days were obtained from the Hospital Information System of the Brazilian National Unified Health System (SIH-SUS) database. For each biennium and health region, the proportion of admissions that occurred outside the municipality of residence, the weighted average distance traveled, and indicators of health and service provision were calculated. Mixed models were fitted to evaluate the biennial trend of the indicators and to investigate factors associated with the neonatal mortality rate (NMR). In total, 76,438 hospitalizations were selected, ranging from 9,030 in 2008-2009 to 17,076 in 2018-2019. The comparison of the networks obtained for 2008-2009 and 2018-2019 revealed an increase in the number of frequent destinations and in the proportion of displacements within the same health region. A decreasing trend was observed for distance, the proportion of live births with 5-minute Apgar ≤ 7, and for NMR. In the adjusted analysis for NMR, besides the biennial effect (-0.64; 95%CI: -0.95; -0.28), only the proportion of live birth with gestational age < 28 weeks showed statistical significance (4.26; 95%CI: 1.29; 7.06). The demand for neonatal hospital care increased over the study period. The displacement networks suggest a positive impact of regionalization, although investment in regions with the potential to become healthcare centers is necessary.

Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on labor and childbirth care practices in Brazil: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

It has been hypothesized that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have changed the conduct of obstetric practices at the time of labor, delivery, and birth. In Brazil, many practices lacking scientific evidence are implemented in this care, which is charcaterized by excessive use of unnecessary interventions. This scenario may have been worsened by the pandemic. Thus, we analyzed the effects of the pandemic on care during prenatal care and delivery by comparing the results of two surveys (one was administered before the pandemic and the other during the pandemic) in public hospitals in Belo Horizonte - Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil.

METHODS

This cross-sectional and comparative study analyzed preliminary data from the study "Childbirth and breastfeeding in children of mothers infected with SARS-CoV-2", which was conducted in three referral maternity hospitals in Belo Horizonte - MG during the pandemic in the first half of 2020 in Brazil. The final sample consisted of 1532 eligible women. These results were compared with data from 390 puerperae who gave birth in the three public hospitals in the study "Birth in Belo Horizonte: labor and birth survey", conducted before the pandemic to investigate the changes in practices of labor and delivery care for the mother and her newborn, with or without COVID-19 infection, before and during the pandemic. In this research, "Birth in Belo Horizonte: labor and birth survey", data collection was performed between November 2011 and March 2013 by previously trained nurses. Between study comparisons were performed using Pearson's chi-square test, with a confidence level of 95%, and using Stata statistical program.

RESULTS

We found a significant increase in practices recommended by the World Health Organization during the pandemic including the following: diet offering (48.90 to 98.65%), non-pharmacological pain relief (43.84 to 67.57%), and breastfeeding in the newborn´s first hour of life (60.31 to 77.98%) (p < 0.001). We found a significant reduction of non-recommended interventions, such as routine use of episiotomy (15.73 to 2.09%), the Kristeller maneuver (16.55 to 0.94%), oxytocin infusion misused (45.55 to 28.07%), amniotomy (30.81 to 15.08%), and lithotomy position during labor (71.23 to 6.54%) (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Our study revealed a statistically significant increase in the proportion of use of recommended practices and a reduction in non-recommended practices during labor and delivery. However, despite advances in the establishment of World Health Organization recommended practices in labor, delivery, and birth, the predominance of interventionist and medicalized practices persists, which is worsened by events, such as the pandemic.

Influence of mode of delivery on satisfaction with hospitalization for childbirth in the study Birth in Brazil

Controversial results have been reported on the association between mode of delivery and patient satisfaction. This study investigates which mode of delivery leads to greater satisfaction with hospital admission for childbirth. A cohort study was conducted with data from the Birth in Brazil study, which began in 2011. A total of 23,046 postpartum women were included from a random sample of hospitals, selected by conglomerates with a three level stratification. At the first follow-up, 15,582 women were re-interviewed. Mode of delivery, dichotomized into vaginal or cesarean section, and confounders were collected before hospital discharge. The outcome maternal satisfaction, investigated as a 10-item unidimensional construct, was measured by the Hospital Birth Satisfaction Scale up to six months after discharge. We used a directed acyclic graph to define minimal adjustment variables for confounding. The effect of mode of delivery on satisfaction was estimated using a structural equation model with weighting by the inverse of the probability of selection, considering the complex sampling design. The weight was estimated considering the different sample selection probabilities, the losses to follow-up, and the propensity score, which was estimated in a logistic regression model. The analysis revealed no significant difference in satisfaction with hospitalization for childbirth between respondents who had vaginal delivery and cesarean section in the adjusted analysis (standardized coefficient = 0.089; p-value = 0.056). Therefore, women who had vaginal delivery and cesarean section were equally satisfied with their hospitalization for childbirth.

Acolhimento ao parto em estabelecimentos de saúde vinculados à Rede Cegonha no Brasil: a perspectiva das usuárias

Este estudo objetivou analisar os fatores sociodemográficos e reprodutivos associados ao acolhimento ao parto em estabelecimentos de saúde vinculados à Rede Cegonha no Brasil, na perspectiva das usuárias. Foram selecionados 606 serviços com amostra de 10.540 puérperas. O desfecho foi a variável latente acolhimento da puérpera, composta por cinco indicadores: apresentação dos profissionais com nome e função, chamar a gestante pelo nome, compreensão das informações dadas, se sentir bem tratada e respeitada e ter as necessidades respondidas pela equipe. As variáveis explicativas foram: idade, escolaridade, cor da pele, situação conjugal, tipo de parto, paridade e peregrinação. Foi utilizada modelagem de equações estruturais. Observaram-se maiores percentuais de mulheres com idade de 20 a 34 anos (68,31%), que se autodeclararam como pardas (56,3%), com escolaridade entre 9 e 11 anos de estudo (56,1%) e que tinham companheiro (78,8%). Houve predominância de puérperas que tiveram parto vaginal (56,6%), com um a dois filhos (46%) e que relataram não peregrinar (91,9%). Apresentaram efeito direto positivo sobre o acolhimento mulheres com maior idade (CP = 0,094; p < 0,001) e maior escolaridade (CP = 0,096; p < 0,001). O parto cesáreo apresentou efeito direto negativo (CP = -0,059; p < 0,002) e cor da pele preta e parda apresentou efeitos direto e indireto negativos (CP = -0,081; p < 0,001 e CP = -0,014; p < 0,001). Puérpera com maior idade, maior escolaridade e que tiveram parto vaginal tiveram percepção mais positiva do acolhimento nos serviços de saúde.

Magnitude e características dos nascimentos termo tardio e pós-termo e complicações maternas e neonatais no Brasil, 2011

Este estudo analisou o nascimento termo tardio e pós-termo, avaliando o perfil materno, suas características e as complicações maternas e neonatais. Foram selecionados 23.610 bebês do estudo Nascer no Brasil (2011), sendo realizada uma análise descritiva da população de estudo. A associação entre o nascimento termo tardio e pós-termo e seus desfechos foi efetuada pela utilização de regressões logísticas (valor de p < 0,05). A prevalência encontrada foi de 7,4% para o termo tardio e de 2,5% para o pós-termo, tendo ambos sido mais frequentes nas regiões Norte e Nordeste, em adolescentes, mulheres negras, de baixa escolaridade, multíparas, atendidas no setor público. As gestações termo tardio tiveram maior chance de indução do parto vaginal (OR = 2,02; IC95%: 1,67-2,45), de cesariana (OR = 1,32; IC95%: 1,16-1,52), de laceração grave (OR = 3,75; IC95%: 1,36-10,36) e de uso oxigenoterapia para os recém-nascidos (OR = 1,52; IC95%: 1,02-2,26). Nas gestações pós-termo, os recém-nascidos tiveram menor chance de amamentação ao nascer (OR = 0,74; IC95%: 0,56-0,97) e durante a hospitalização (OR = 0,62; IC95%: 0,40-0,97) e maior chance de nascerem pequenos para a idade gestacional (OR = 4,01; IC95%: 2,83-5,70). Os resultados utilizando somente a ultrassonografia como medida da idade gestacional confirmaram os achados anteriores. Gestações termo tardio e pós-termo ocorrem com maior frequência nas regiões Norte e Nordeste e em mulheres com maior vulnerabilidade social, associando-se a complicações maternas e neonatais.

Coexistence and prevalence of obstetric interventions: an analysis based on the grade of membership

BACKGROUND

Obstetric interventions performed during delivery do not reflect improvements in obstetric care. Several practices routinely performed during childbirth, without any scientific evidence or basis - such as Kristeller maneuver, routine episiotomy, and movement or feeding restriction - reflect a disrespectful assistance reality that, unfortunately, remains in place in Brazil. The aims of the current study are to assess the coexistence and prevalence of obstetric interventions in maternity hospitals in Belo Horizonte City, based on the Grade of Membership (GoM) method, as well as to investigate sociodemographic and obstetric factors associated with coexistence profiles generated by it.

METHODS

Observational study, based on a cross-sectional design, carried out with data deriving from the study "Nascer em Belo Horizonte: Inquérito sobre o Parto e Nascimento" (Born in Belo Horizonte: Survey on Childbirth and Birth). The herein investigated interventions comprised practices that are clearly useful and should be encouraged; practices that are clearly harmful or ineffective and should be eliminated; and practices that are inappropriately used, in contrast to the ones recommended by the World Health Organization. The analyzed interventions comprised: providing food to parturient women, allowing them to have freedom to move, use of partogram, adopting non-pharmacological methods for pain relief, enema, perineal shaving, lying patients down for delivery, Kristeller maneuver, amniotomy, oxytocin infusion, analgesia and episiotomy. The current study has used GoM to identify the coexistence of the adopted obstetric interventions. Variables such as age, schooling, skin color, primigravida, place-of-delivery financing, number of prenatal consultations, gestational age at delivery, presence of obstetric nurse at delivery time, paid work and presence of companion during delivery were taken into consideration at the time to build patients' profile.

RESULTS

Results have highlighted two antagonistic obstetric profiles, namely: profile 1 comprised parturient women who were offered diet, freedom to move, use of partogram, using non-pharmacological methods for pain relief, giving birth in lying position, patients who were not subjected to Kristeller maneuver, episiotomy or amniotomy, women did not receive oxytocin infusion, and analgesia using. Profile 2, in its turn, comprised parturient women who were not offered diet, who were not allowed to have freedom to move, as well as who did not use the partograph or who were subjected to non-pharmacological methods for pain relief. They were subjected to enema, perineal shaving, Kristeller maneuver, amniotomy and oxytocin infusion. In addition, they underwent analgesia and episiotomy. This outcome emphasizes the persistence of an obstetric care model that is not based on scientific evidence. Based on the analysis of factors that influenced the coexistence of obstetric interventions, the presence of obstetric nurses in the healthcare practice has reduced the likelihood of parturient women to belong to profile 2. In addition, childbirth events that took place in public institutions have reduced the likelihood of parturient women to belong to profile 2.

CONCLUSION(S)

Based on the analysis of factors that influenced the coexistence of obstetric interventions, financing the hospital for childbirth has increased the likelihood of parturient women to belong to profile 2. However, the likelihood of parturient women to belong to profile 2 has decreased when hospitals had an active obstetric nurse at the delivery room. The current study has contributed to discussions about obstetric interventions, as well as to improve childbirth assistance models. In addition, it has emphasized the need of developing strategies focused on adherence to, and implementation of, assistance models based on scientific evidence.