A logical model of the Rede Cegonha network

This paper aimed to build a Logic Model (LM) of the "Rede Cegonha Network", which was launched by the Health Ministry in 2011, to ensure qualified care for pregnant women and children up to two years old. The network points out that both maternal and child morbidity and mortality remains high, with prevalence of the medicalization of birth and use of technologies without scientific evidence and does not consider pregnant women as protagonists of their pregnancy and birthing process. A documentary research was carried out on official documents and other sources within the Health Ministry, between February and October 2011. The preparation of the LM was divided in three stages: answer twelve "key questions" for modeling programs; explanation of the problem and basic references, and construction of the LM of the network based on Bezerra, Cazarin and Alves (2010) and Cassiolato and Gueresi (2010) modeling programs. "Gaps" were observed in the network's logic, pointing to the need to revise the theory of this strategy in order to increase the chances of success. The LM has proven useful as a management tool, to clarify the role of the network practice and to assist both the dissemination and the communication process, and can also be used to organize assessment studies.