OBJECTIVE: To evaluate nurses' competence in preparing women for Papanicolaou's smear according to the Performance Improvement Instrument. METHODS: Data were collected through direct observation of the performance of 7 nurses from the Family's Health Program in Ceará, during the month of September, 2005. Each nurse was observed on three occasions. RESULTS: The majority of nurses (85.7%) provided privacy for the woman to change her clothes and maintained her privacy during the procedure by covering them properly. However, less than a half of the nurses (38.2%) explained the procedure to the client, and none of the nurses inquired if the woman had emptied her bladder. CONCLUSION: the nurse competence for preparing women for Papanicolaou's smear was unsatisfactory because the four items of the Performance Improvement Instrument were performed only 52.4% of the time. Promoting changes in attitudes toward competence and adequate performance is challenging public health service.
Vaginal smears; Quality of health care; Nursing care
