Análise da segurança do paciente na maternidade no contexto da pandemia de COVID-19 na perspectiva de profissionais de saúde

Abstract

Introduction: patient safety (PS) is understood as the ability to reduce, to an acceptable minimum, the risk of unnecessary harm to health. Over the last 30 years, Brazil has exhibited profound changes in different areas of health care, impacting the safety of care for women and babies. Advances in obstetric care have contributed to improving maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality indicators across the world. The COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a complicating factor for safe maternal and neonatal health care. Brazil had the highest number of maternal deaths in the Americas due to COVID-19. This context had important consequences for the organization of health services, including maternity wards. Studies highlight the importance of PS in the quality of care provided by obstetric services. However, there is a lack of studies that propose to analyze the PS process in maternity hospitals in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic from health professionals’ perspective. General objective: to analyze PS in maternity hospitals in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic from health professionals’ perspective. Specific objectives: to understand the meaning of PS for health professionals working in maternity wards; to describe how health professionals working in the maternity ward experienced the search for PS in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic; to assess PS in maternity hospitals in the context of the COVID19 pandemic from health professionals’ perspective, considering the structure, process and results achieved; to describe facilitating and hindering aspects for promoting PS in maternity hospitals in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: this is a case study with a qualitative approach that adopted Avedis Donabedian’s triad, structure, process and result, as a theoretical framework. Data collection was carried out through on-site interviews with a semi-structured script and field observation in a maternity ward of a metropolitan hospital in Belo Horizonte/Minas Gerais. The inclusion criteria adopted were that the health professional was a member of the maternity team and worked in care or management from March 2020 to April 2022. The exclusion criterion adopted was the interruption of the interview by the professional. Qualitative data were analyzed using reflective thematic analysis, as proposed by Braun and Clark, with support from the MAXQDA® software. The guidelines and regulatory standards for research involving human beings were followed, in accordance with Resolutions 466/12 and 510/2016. Results: A total of 27 health professionals participated, including two managers and 25 health professionals from maternity care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic led to changes in the organization of maternity hospitals’ structure, process and results. Participants’ understanding of PS is linked to international PS goals and is in line with the World Health Organization’s concept of PS. In relation to structure, physical structure was presented in a negative way and considered a major challenge. PS’ institutional culture was highlighted as an aspect of positive relevance in the institution. Participating health professionals’ overload was evident. In relation to process, the existence of ongoing health education, discussion of protocols and greater attention to risks were highlighted. In relation to results, the recognition of the importance of PS, learning about COVID-19 for care, teamwork and assessment of care indicators were the main highlights. The facilitating aspects mentioned for promoting PS were supply and use of personal protective equipment, updating protocols, PS culture, teamwork, patient leadership in their safety, improved communication and reorganization of flows. The main hindering aspects presented were inadequate physical area, absences and absences of professionals, changes in flows and protocols, difficulty in guiding patients and companions and feelings aroused in professionals. The main strategies highlighted by participants were the availability and encouragement of correct use of masks, adequate isolation, universal screening for COVID-19, reorganization of care flows and training/discussion of protocols. Conclusion: it was identified that the context of the COVID-19 pandemic presented changes in the organization of maternity hospitals’ structure, process and results. For maternity health professionals, physical structure was detrimental to providing safe care. Organizing care flows for women and babies was necessary to ensure patient safety and create new protocols. Discussing them has become frequent and indispensable. Working as a team was treated as essential, and health managers’ role was considered essential for developing safe work processes. And the effective Patient Safety Center’s performance, health professional overload and psychological distress were evident.