Movements toward change in women’s health care in teaching hospitals in Brazil

ABSTRACT

This study aims to analyze the primary outcomes of the ApiceON Project within its care component, highlighting its developments and impacts. This descriptive study is based on secondary data produced from 2017 to 2020 during the project’s implementation in 96 teaching hospitals distributed across all Brazilian regions. We analyzed the strategic indicators and evaluation items related to the care component, focusing on temporal trends across the project’s thematic axes. The results indicate advances in childbirth and newborn care, with a reduction in the proportion of items classified as ‘nonexistent’ and an increase in those labeled ‘advanced’, reflecting the incorporation and expansion of best practices. Improvements in best practices for care and Health Conditions Surveillance were particularly notable in hospitals located in the Northeast and Midwest. We observed an increase in the percentage of hospitals with obstetric nurses providing care, the use of immediate postpartum intrauterine devices, and childbirths attended by a companion. The project revealed the capacity to drive change in health services, promoting the qualification of obstetric and neonatal care and contributing to the development of practices grounded in reproductive rights and the safety of care for women and newborns.

KEYWORDS
Hospitals, maternity; Hospitals, teaching; Quality of health care; Maternal-child health services; Obstetrics.