Violence against women

perceptions of maternity health professionals

Abstract

Objective: to know the perception of health professionals about the care of women in situations of violence who are assisted at Hospital Sofia Feldman in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. Methods: this is a descriptive study with a qualitative approach carried out from May to June 2018. Twentyone professionals who work in direct assistance to women in the maternity and emergency care services or who establish contact with women in situations of violence during follow-up at the institution were included in the study. Data were obtained through the focus group technique, performing a total of four focus groups, with an average duration of 50 minutes, and submitted to content analysis in the thematic modality. Results: in the data analysis, the following categories were identified - ways of manifestation of violence against women; how women express that they are in a situation of violence; what health professionals do with women in situations of violence;
support network for women in situations of violence. The different forms of violence represent a challenge for health professionals, who feel unprepared to deal with the care needs of women living in situations of violence. Conclusion: there is a clear need for training, qualification, creation of
protocols, and the promotion of multidisciplinary work for comprehensive health care for women in situations of violence.