Abortion care in the Brazilian National Health Service in the Northeast of Brazil: the structure of services

Objectives: to assess the structure of maternity hospitals that provide care for woman undergoing abortions in the Brazilian National Health Service in the cities of Salvador, Recife and Sao Luis. Methods: three maternity hospitals were selected in each State capital. The data were obtained by way of interviews with the service manager or team of directors and direct observation. The interviews involved 120 questions divided into six sections - physical infrastructure, material resources, human resources, consumable materials, health education and management tools, covering four areas of evaluation - materials/physical environment; technical quality and care management; reception/guidance and continuity of care. The results were presented as a percentage of the maximum possible score: adequate (> or =80%); average (50% - 79%); inadequate (< 50%). Results: the highest scoring sections were physical infrastructure, material resources and consumable materials. Health education and management tools received the worst scores. No unit was deemed to have attained an adequate level of care. Seven were classified as average and two as inadequate. Conclusions: the units studied did not have an adequate structure for the intended abortion care model. There is a need for intervention to improve the structure of abortion care services and to promote the humanization of care. Adapted from the source document.