El programa de Educación Maternal en el Sistema Público de Salud en Galicia

Abstract

Aims of the study

The goals of this study have been to know the number of patients who participate in the Maternal Education Program in the Health Centers in Galicia. Timetable, theoretical and practical activities of the program have been analised.

Subject and methods

transversal descriptive study. We have sent by post a survey to all the health centers of Galicia which have midwifes. The statistic analyses has been about a descriptive study of all the variables included in the questionnaire. The maternal Education Program exists in the 81.5 % of the replies we have received. In the 93.4% of the cases, the women both started and finished the program. The theoretical contents more frequently developed have been the medical care for newborn, breast-feeding and medical care in the postpartum period, which are present in the 100 % of the cases. The less frequently developed has been the medication and pregnancy. The practical contents of the program more frequently developed have been the breathe technics (100 %) followed by physical training during pregnancy (98.1 %). The less developed topic has been the physical training after delivery. The month of pregnancy when the programme begun had as median 6.5. The lenght of the program had as median 10 weeks. The 100 % of the replies showed that the person in charge of the programme was the midwife.

According to the replies we have received, there is a high development of the Maternal Education Program. Related to the theoretical and practical contents taught during the pregnancy, there is so much homogeneity about several aspects among the different centers. It seems to be more emphasis in the prepartum compared to the postpartum program, which has less number of hours per week, and also less weeks of length.