Health professionals' perceptions of planned home birth care within the Brazilian health system

• Published in: BMC pregnancy and childbirth Vol. 23; no. 1; p. 844
• Main Authors: Beviláqua, Jannaina Campos, Dos Reis, Laena Costa, Alves, Valdecyr Herdy, Penna, Lucia Helena Garcia, da Silva, Silvio Éder Dias, Parente, Andressa Tavares, de Jesus Dias Sousa, Fabianne, Vieira, Bianca Dargam Gomes, Pereira, Audrey Vidal, Fernandes, Maura Eduarda Sousa, Rodrigues, Diego Pereira
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central 08-12-2023; BMC
• Subjects: Childbirth & labor; Councils; Data collection; Guarantees; Health services; Home births; Home childbirth; Hospitals; Humanization of care; Humanized childbirth; Maternal and child health; Medical personnel; Medical research; Midwifery; Mortality; Nurses; Nursing; Obstetric nursing; Obstetrics; Professionals; Qualitative research; Vagina; Womens health; Womens rights; Brazil; Maternal and child health; Humanization of care; Obstetric nursing; Home childbirth; Humanized childbirth
• ISSN: 1471-2393; 1471-2393
• DOI: 10.1186/s12884-023-06161-9

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, in its opinion of the Committee on Midwifery Practice, points out that planned home birth is a woman's and family's right to experience, but also to choose and be informed about, their baby's place of birth. The aim of this study was to understand obstetric nurses' perceptions of planned home childbirth care within the framework of the Brazilian obstetric model.
A qualitative study, with Snowball Sampling recruitment, totaling 20 obstetric nurses through semi-structured interviews between September 2022 and January 2023, remotely, using the Google Meet application and the recording feature. After the data had been collected, the material was transcribed in full and subjected to content analysis in the thematic modality with the support of ATLAS.ti 8.0 software.
Obstetric care at home emerged as a counterpoint to hospital care and the biomedical model, providing care at home based on scientific evidence and humanization, bringing qualified information as a facilitator of access and financial costs as an obstacle to effective home birth.
Understanding obstetric nurses' perceptions of planned home birth care in the context of the Brazilian obstetric model shows the need for progress as a public policy and for strategies to ensure quality and regulation.