USERS’ PERCEPTION OF THE BRAZILIAN UNIFIED HEALTH SYSTEM ABOUT BIRTH PLAN

Abstract

Objective: To know the users’ perception of the brazilian unified health system about birth plan. Method: This is a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive reasearch. Women who recently gave birth and performed prenatal care and childbirth at the public health service in the city of Vitória de Santo Antão, Pernambuco, Brazil, were interviewed. The results obtained from the interviews were analyzed according to the thematic content analysis technique. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee from the Science Health Center of the Federal University of Pernambuco (CAAE: 10767619.2.0000.5208). Results: Three categories of analysis emerged: perceptions about the birth plan; the impact of the birth plan in maternity; childbirth experiences. The incentive to make the Childbirth Plan is still deficient in individual prenatal consultations, however, in collective spaces such as pregnant Women ‘rounds of conversation’, given the multiprofessional acting, its dissemination has been strengthening. As for hospital assistance, it was possible to perceive, in the women's statements, the professionals’ resistance to legitimize the Birth Plan. Final Considerations: In the users’ statements, the Birth Plan was perceived as an essential tool for constructing their experiences during pregnancy and at the moment of delivery. Most childbirth experiences were satisfactory, even though the Birth Plan was not recognized by the team of professionals as a legal instrument and a legal right of the pregnant woman. On the other hand, from the speeches related to the moment of delivery, the practice of interventions not based on scientific evidence was identified. Descriptors: Women’s Health; Humanizing Delivery; Unified Health System.