Factors related to main preventable perinatal injuries of public hospital in the Brazilian Federal District.

Abstract

Introduction: The quality of prenatal care, childbirth and newborn are determinants of perinatal morbidity and mortality. The realization of a adequate prenatal care and skilled birth assistance would reduce the incidence of injuries and perinatal deaths that are largely preventable. Method: Descriptive and exploratory study of quantitative and qualitative nature.  Interview and review of medical records of thirty mothers and newborns were made. The results were chart using the SPSS software, version 20.0, for processing and statistical analysis. We performed thematic analysis of interviews, and tabulated according to their frequencies, identifying the differences and similarities between data. Results: The most frequent perinatal injuries were prematurity (74.2%), Respiratory Distress (71%), Underweight (51.6%), Infection or Sepsis (41.9%), Perinatal Asphyxia (19.4% ) and Oligohydramnio (19.4%). These injuries were related to several factors such as inadequate prenatal care, with fewer than six prenatal consultations (70%) and late onset (50%), and presence of maternal health problems such as: changes in amniotic fluid (50%) and preterm labor (50%). The interviewees added other factors such as failures in the care professional (43%), failures in care and service (33%), difficulty of access (19%) and breast self-care failures (16.6%). Conclusion: Stood out in this study the occurrence of perinatal injuries in children of mothers with stable socio-demographic profile and in term newborns as also the percentage of deaths (16.1%). The perinatal injuries and deaths could have been avoided with qualified prenatal care, childbirth and newborn care.