Use of childbirth plans in high-risk obstetric pregnancies: nurses’ perceptions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36517/2175-6783.20262796123Keywords:
Pregnancy, High-Risk; Human Rights; Parturition; Nursing; Prenatal Care.Abstract
Objective: to understand nurses’ perceptions of the use of childbirth plans with pregnant women classified as high-risk obstetrically. Methods: a qualitative study was conducted with 13 nurses from a public high-risk maternity hospital. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and subjected to thematic content analysis. Results: nurses’ perceptions reaffirm the childbirth plan as a document that promotes female empowerment, safety, and quality of care. However, only residents and specialists in obstetric nursing highlighted specificities and challenges related to its use in high-risk pregnancies. Furthermore, residents were the only ones who considered it a protective strategy against violence and unjustified obstetric interventions. Conclusion: nurse-midwives’ and in-service training’s potential to promote the use of childbirth plans and women’s autonomy is evident, given the predominance of the technocratic model in high-risk maternity wards. Contributions to practice: investments are needed in the role of obstetric nursing in high-risk pregnancies, in prenatal care, to encourage the dialogical and shared construction of childbirth plans, and in maternity wards, to foster an institutional culture anchored in interprofessional collaboration and women’s rights.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Juliana Amaral Prata, Midian Oliveira Dias, Ana Beatriz Brum da Penha, Ana Carolina Ferreira Filipe, Débora Cecília Chaves de Oliveira, Tatiana Beatriz Leandro de Castro, Laura Greco Gioia
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