[The humanization of birth: how health professionals working in delivery care perceive it]

Abstract

This was a qualitative exploratory study, which aimed to investigate how health professionals working in delivery care perceive the humanization of the birth process. 17 professionals who work in the area were interviewed. The data were obtained through semi-structured interviews and processed through thematic analysis. During the data analysis 3 categories emerged: the meaning of humanization of birth; the humanization practice in the studied services; and difficulties of the humanization process. The results show that the humanization of birth care is not yet a common practice in most of the studied hospitals and that the staff is not prepared to provide a humanized and qualified service for mothers and newborns. We conclude that it is essential to change the biomedical model from a mainly technical approach to an approach that values the social and cultural aspects of pregnancy and delivery.