Characteristics of pregnant women cared for in a visit to the prenatal outpatient nursing service: comparison of four decades

The aim of the work was to identify characteristics of pregnant women cared for by an obstetric nurse in a visit to the prenatal outpatient nursing service and compare these over the period from 1972 to 2009. Sociodemographic and obstetric data were collected from the forms completed by the pregnant patients during their visit to the nursing service. A total of 1245 forms were analyzed 208 (16.7%) being from the 1970s, 323 (25.9%) from the 1980s, 329 (26.4%) from the 1990s, and 385 (30.0%) from year 2000. A significant difference was found between the previous decades and year 9000 in relation to the greater number of high-risk pregnancies, number of nursing consultations and obstetric ultrasounds performed during the prenatal exam. The characteristics of pregnant women were observed to change over time, as well as the care provided by the obstetric nurse during visits to the outpatient nursing service, remaining associated with the demands of patients and legal resolutions.