Facilitating and limiting factors for nurses’ role in controlling COVID-19 in childbirth care

Abstract

Objective to discuss the facilitating and limiting factors of nurses’ performance in controlling COVID-19 in childbirth care. Methods a descriptive and qualitative study, with 20 nurse-midwives from public services in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Data were collected from May to July 2021, through semi-structured interviews, and submitted to thematic content analysis. Results as facilitating factors there are: physical installations and resources that provide individualized use; protocol implementation; reorganization of collective environment use; and preference for care that does not require instruments or nurses’ continuous presence. As limiting factors, the following stand out: high demand for care; restricted accommodation and inadequate ventilation; lack of resources; resistance to wearing a mask; nurses’ difficulty in maintaining physical distance in care; and increase in interventionist practices among certain professionals. Conclusions and implications for practice services that underwent adaptations in environments, with available resources, co-responsibility regarding sanitary measures and where nurse-midwives modified their care process, presented better conditions to protect health and mitigate COVID-19 transmission, with attention to environment, humanization and women’s rights during childbirth.