Criteria for choosing primary health care facilities for prenatal care, Brazil

Objective To describe the prenatal care delivered to a representative sample of mothe rs, identifying the health care facility they attended and to explore the r easons that led them to choose that specific health facility. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted at four maternoty hospitals in Pelota s, in Southern Brazil, from March to April 1997. A total of 401 mothers wer e interviewed at the hospital, immediately after delivery. Results The majority of mothers (51%) were followed up at a primary health care fac ility (PHCF). The main reported reason fbr choosing a PHCF was its geograph ic accessibility (46.8%). For 85% of the mothers, the nearest health servic e was a PHCF: However 52.2% of them did riot attend the consultations at th is setting mainly because of a supposed low quality? care (37.4%). Except f or immunization with tetanus toxoids, all other usual prenatal care procedu res recommended by the local health ministry including promotion of breastf eeding, were performed less frequently at the PHCF than in other health car e settings. Conclusion Given the high coverage of the public prenatal rare program, efforts should be made to improve the quality of care delivered to pregnant women, mainly by encouraging health professionals. especially doctors, to follow the est ablished guidelines.