Measurement of the prevalence of intervention/complication in puerperal women attending a university hospital during the pandemic of COVID-19 by the maternity safety thermometer

Abstract Objectives: measuring the prevalence of interventions and/or complications based on the Maternity Safety Thermometer (MST) criteria and verifying associations with sociodemographic, clinical, and obstetric factors. Methods: prospective observational study conducted with postpartum women admitted to the maternity ward of a tertiary hospital, from October 10th to December 30th, 2020. Data were collected from medical records and self-administered questionnaires from 260 patients. Results: harm-free care was detected in 17.7% of participants, 66.9% had low-temperature damage (one or less intervention/complication) and 33.1% of patients had elevated temperature damage (two or more intervention/complication). The most frequent intervention was the “scar”, given that 38.5% had abdominal scarring (cesarean section) and 26.5% had perineal scarring (2nd-degree tear or greater – spontaneous or by episiotomy). The second most frequent MST item was related to the perception of safety (30%), followed by complications to the newborn (12.3%), infection (11.2%), and hemorrhage (9.2%). Factors related to high temperature were: being of social class A or B, having a previous cesarean section, and being hospitalized during pregnancy. Conclusions: one-third of the participating women had two or more complications/interventions (high temperature by the MST), factors that are related to this temperature were: being of social class A or B, having a previous cesarean section, and being hospitalized during pregnancy. Resumo Objetivos: mensurar a prevalência de intervenções e/ou complicações a partir dos critérios estabelecidos pelo Termômetro de Segurança da Maternidade (TSM) e avaliar associações com fatores sociodemográficos, clínicos e obstétricos. Métodos: estudo observacional prospectivo realizado com puérperas internadas na maternidade de hospital terciário, de 10 de outubro a 30 de dezembro de 2020. Foram coletados dados do prontuário e de questionários autoaplicáveis de 260 pacientes. Resultados: um cuidado livre de intervenções/complicações foi detectado em 17,7% das participantes, 66,9% apresentaram baixa temperatura (até uma intervenção/complicação) e 33,1% tiveram alta temperatura de intervenções/complicações (2 ou mais). A intervenção mais frequente foi a denominada “cicatriz”, sendo que 38,5% tiveram cicatriz abdominal (cesariana) e 26,5% tiveram “cicatriz” perineal (laceração de 2º grau ou mais – espontânea ou por episiotomia). O segundo dano mais frequente