Nurses' Role In Reproductive Planning In A City In The Interior Of Minas Gerais, Brazil

The Institute for Applied Economic Research states that reproductive planning involves various actions that will help individuals who intend to build a family, defining the most appropriate time for this and the ideal interval between pregnancies. There are currently various contraceptive methods available in Brazil's Unified Health System, aimed at both men and women. Although nursing professionals play an important role in reproductive planning, there are weaknesses in their work. With this in mind, the aim of this study was to identify the role of nurses in reproductive planning within the scope of the Family Health Strategy. This is a descriptive, quantitative-qualitative study carried out with nurses working in Family Health units in a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. For data collection, a semi-structured interview was carried out which allowed for the collection of socio-demographic information about the participants and addressed issues related to reproductive planning. Five nurses took part in the study, most of whom were female and aged between 25 and 30. Most of the participants had a postgraduate degree, and there was a prevalence of between 1 and 3 years working in the field. Three categories emerged from this study: 1) Knowledge and health promotion activities; 2) Nursing consultations; 3) Challenges in reproductive planning. In view of this, it can be seen that in the nurses' work, the main actions aimed at reproductive planning are lectures, aimed mainly at adolescents. Nurses are unaware of some of the contraceptive methods available in the Unified Health System. Furthermore, the population's lack of knowledge is one of the main factors hindering nurses' work on the subject. Although there are difficulties, most of the participants showed that they were prepared to carry out a nursing consultation focused on reproductive planning. In view of the above, nurses need to be trained in sexual and reproductive rights and contraceptive methods.