Atuação da fisioterapia em obstetrícia: uma análise do grau de conhecimento das gestantes brasileiras

Abstract

Introduction: Physiotherapy in obstetrics arose with the need to attend the pregnant woman in her several weeks of gestation with the objective of promoting quality of life during this period and preparing her for childbirth both physically and emotionally. Objective: To evaluate the degree of knowledge of pregnant women regarding physical therapy in the physical preparation of women for labor and to correlate with sociodemographic variables. Methodology: It is characterized as a research of an exploratory nature, transversal, of quantitative character, based on the application of an online questionnaire on the subject. The questionnaire was composed of 23 questions, elaborated with the objective of evaluating the degree of knowledge of pregnant women about the physiology of vaginal delivery, their rights at that moment and also about the performance of Physical Therapy in the gestational period and childbirth. Results: 326 women answered the questionnaire. Of these, 41 were excluded because they were puerperal and not pregnant. Thus, the responses of 285 pregnant women were analyzed. The results showed a greater adhesion to vaginal delivery (77.9%) compared to cesarean section (22.1%). 69.5% (n = 198) of the pregnant women know about physiotherapy for the pelvic floor muscles, but 43.9% (n = 125) do not know about the physiotherapist's performance in labor. Conclusion: Through this study, we conclude that the lack of information about the physiotherapeutic performance at delivery and prepartum as well as the techniques for each phase is evident, and with this, fewer pregnant women are receiving an integral and quality care regarding their physical and perineal preparation.