Abstract:
This study focused on perceptions and practices in postpartum follow-up of women's health. The article is part of a larger qualitative study based on Gadamer, from October 2012 to September 2013 in Recife, Pernambuco State, Brazil, with participant observation and semi-structured interviews. Participation included the family health team (a physician, nurse, and five health agents) and ten women (18 years or older, recruited in the last trimester of pregnancy, and receiving prenatal care with the family health team). The empirical categories were access to care and health demands and needs. The results highlight dissatisfaction with home visits: late, without priority, absent physician or nurse, irregular and discontinuous; lack of postpartum appointment; and difficult access to the physician. The women expressed displeasure with the limited appreciation of women's health needs: attention focused on the infant, scarcity of physical examination and patient history, insufficient orientation, and limited communication. The incipient characteristics of postpartum follow-up in this study show the need to transform the health team's practices to focus more attention on the woman, thereby improving postpartum care.
Keywords:
User Embracement; Postpartum Period; Primary Health Care; Delivery of Health Care; Women's Health