Perceção de enfermeiros portugueses sobre a tomada de decisão contracetiva de mulheres após aborto voluntário: Contributo de um grupo focal

Abstract

It is estimated that worldwide about half of pregnancies are unplanned and are related to the non-use, failure, misuse, or discontinuation of contraceptive methods. Midwives are agents of health promotion, and this includes contraceptive counselling. Objectives: Understand the perception of the midwives about the aspects that promote decision-making by a contraceptive method on the part of women after voluntary termination of pregnancy. Methods: Descriptive study with a qualitative approach using a focus group. Inclusion criteria for participants were: registered midwifes, involved in contraceptive counselling, willing to participate in the study. The interview involved five midwives who participated in the voluntary termination of pregnancy clinic in a hospital in the Lisbon and Tagus valley region, during August 2020. Content analysis of conveyed information was performed, according to the methodology advocated by Bardin, using the WebQdA® software. Results: Midwives identified social-cultural aspects, disadvantaged economic status, age, low general and health literacy as the main factors conditioning the choice of contraceptive methods. Conclusions: Understanding the factors that lead to women’s contraceptive choices may leverage interventions that promote sexual and reproductive health.