Brazilian obstetrician-gynecologists and abortion: a survey of knowledge, opinions and practices (original) (raw)
Related papers
Background: In Argentina, abortion has been decriminalized under certain circumstances since the enactment of the Penal Code in 1922. Nevertheless, access to abortion under this regulatory framework has been extremely limited in spite of some recent changes. This article reports the findings of the first phase of an operations research study conducted in the Province of Santa Fe, Argentina, regarding the implementation of the local legal and safe abortion access policy. Methods: The project combined research and training to generate a virtuous circle of knowledge production, decision-making, and the fostering of an informed healthcare policy. The project used a pre-post design of three phases: baseline, intervention, and evaluation. It was conducted in two public hospitals. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire (n = 157) and semi-structured interviews (n = 27) were applied to gather information about tacit knowledge about the regulatory framework; personal opinions regarding abortion and its decriminalization; opinions on the requirements needed to carry out legal abortions; and service's responses to women in need of an abortion.
Physician opinions concerning legal abortion in Bogotá, Colombia
Since the decriminalisation of abortion in 2006, women in Colombia have continued to seek clandestine abortions, endangering their health and contributing to maternal mortality and morbidity. The goal of this study was to explore physicians' opinions towards and knowledge about legal abortion in Bogotá, Colombia, and key barriers to the legal abortion access. We conducted 13 key informant interviews followed by a survey with a probability sample of 49 doctors working in public hospitals in Bogotá. Interview and survey data showed lack of technical experience in the provision of abortion and nuanced opinions towards its practice. Key informants described ignorance and lack of abortion training in medical schools as key barriers to provision. In the survey, 16/49 respondents had performed an abortion, 24/49 had referred a woman for an abortion and only 33/49 showed correct knowledge of the law.
Abortion procedures provided by law - repercussions for the health service: an exploratory study
Online Brazilian Journal of Nursing, 2012
Doctoral thesis developed in the Post-graduate in Nursing Program in the University of Brasilia. The main objective is: to describe the working process of a legal abortion service center in a regional hospital, located in Brasilia, Federal District. Method: this is a qualitative, descriptive and exploratory piece of research, with semi-structured interviews to collect data, using the technique of thematic content analysis to treat the information acquired.
Health Care for Women International, 2019
We used the questionnaire "Mosaic of Opinions on Induced Abortion" to conduct a multi-centered study to evaluate the perspectives of physicians, nurses, social workers, psychologists and pharmacists on the morality of abortion. In all, 254 participants constituted the sample. The inadequate knowledge on Brazilian abortion laws was the only determinant negatively associated with the construct "Sexual and Reproductive Rights", corroborating the hypothesis that a better understanding of abortion legislation could mitigate the opposition of some professionals to the ethical perspective that access to safe abortion should be seen as a sexual and reproductive right.
Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira, 2018
In Brasil, abortion is legal in cases of rape, when there is a risk of maternal death, and in cases of fetal anencephaly. However, the literature reports that some doctors refuse to care for women with such demands or come to perform it in a discriminatory manner. OBJECTIVE: Pretest, test and evaluate the measurement properties of the " Mosaic of Opinions on Induced Abortion, " a questionnaire developed to investigate the perspectives of Brazilian healthcare professionals about the morality of abortion. METHODS: Firstly, the questionnaire was pretested in an intentional sample of specialists. Secondly, it was tested in a randomized sample of 32 healthcare professionals. Finally, we conducted a multi-center study in seven university hospitals to evaluate the measurement properties of the questionnaire. RESULTS: Combined samples of the three phases totalized 430 individuals. In pretest and test, all the evaluated aspects obtained satisfactory results. In the multicenter phase, confirmatory factorial analysis led to an important reduction of the questionnaire, which also obtained good indicators of reliability, beyond the validation of construct and criteria. CONCLUSION: Questionnaire has been validated and is suitable for use in other surveys in Brasil.
Reproductive Health Matters, 2002
In Argentina, unsafe abortions are the primary cause of maternal mortality, accounting for 32% of maternal deaths. During reform of the National Constitution in 1994, the women's movement effectively resisted the reactionary government/church position on abortion. Health professionals, including obstetrician–gynaecologists, played conflicting roles in this debate. This article presents results from a study carried out in 1998–1999 of the views of 467 obstetrician–gynaecologists from public hospitals in Buenos Aires and its Metropolitan Area, focus group discussions with 60 of them, and interviews with heads of department from 36 of the hospitals. The great majority believed abortion was a serious public health issue; that physicians should provide abortions which are not illegal; that abortion should not be penalised to save the woman's life, or in cases of rape or fetal malformations; and that women having illegal abortions and abortion providers should not be imprisoned. Some 40% thought abortion should not be penalised if it is a woman's autonomous decision. Those who were better disposed towards the de-penalisation of abortion cited a combination of public health reasons and the need for social equity. The women's health and rights movement should do advocacy work with this professional community on women's needs and rights, given the prominent role they play in reproductive health care provision and in the public sphere.En Argentine, les avortements non médicalisés sont la première cause de mortalité maternelle, représentant 32% des décès maternels. Pendant la réforme de la Constitution nationale en 1994, le mouvement des femmes a défendu l'avortement. Des professionnels de la santé, notamment des obstétriciens–gynécologues, ont joué un rôle conflictuel dans ce débat. L'article présente les résultats d'une étude réalisée en 1998–1999 auprès de 467 obstétriciens–gynécologues d'hôpitaux publics de Buenos Aires et de la zone métropolitaine, des discussions de groupe avec 60 d'entre eux et des entretiens avec les chefs de service de 36 hôpitaux. La plupart croyaient que l'avortement était un grave problème de santé publique; que les médecins devaient réaliser les avortements qui n'étaient pas illégaux; qu'il ne fallait pas pénaliser l'avortement en cas de danger pour la vie de la femme, de viol ou de malformation foetale, ni emprisonner les femmes subissant un avortement illégal et les personnes le pratiquant. Pour quelque 40%, l'avortement ne devait pas être pénalisé si c'était une décision autonome de la femme. Les plus favorables à la dépénalisation de l'avortement citaient des raisons de santé publique et le besoin d'équité sociale. Le mouvement pour la santé et les droits des femmes devrait informer ces professionnels des besoins et des droits des femmes, compte tenu du rôle éminent qu'ils jouent dans les soins de santé génésique et dans la société.En Argentina, el aborto realizado en condiciones de riesgo es la primera causa de la mortalidad materna, representando un 32% de las muertes maternas. Durante la reforma constitucional de 1994, el movimiento de mujeres se movilizó a favor de la despenalización del aborto. Los profesionales de la salud, incluidos los gı̀neco–obstetras, jugaron papeles encontrados en este debate. Este arteculo presenta los resultados de un estudio de opinión realizado en 1998–1999 entre 467 géneco–obstetras de los hospitales públicos en el Area Metropolitana de Buenos Aires, grupos focales en que participaron 60 de ellos, y entrevistas con los jefes de departamento de 36 hospitales. La gran mayorı̀a opinó que el aborto es un grave problema de salud pública; que los médicos deben proveer abortos cuando no son ilegales; que no se debe penalizar el aborto practicado para salvar la vida de una mujer, o en casos de violación o malformación fetal; y que no se debe encarcelar ni a la mujer que aborta ilegalmente ni a los proveedores de aborto. Un 40% opinó que tampoco se debe penalizar el aborto cuando es la decisión autónoma de la mujer. Quienes se mostraron más a favor de la despenalización del aborto citaron razones de salud pública combinadas con la necesidad de equidad social. Dado el papel predominante que juegan los profesionales de la salud en la provisión de servicios y en la esfera pública, el movimiento pro salud y derechos de la mujer debe dirigir más esfuerzos hacia la sensibilización de esa comunidad en torno a las necesidades y los derechos de la mujer.
This publication aims to offer an overview of the reality of unsafe abortion in Brazil, based on data collected through research on the magnitude of unsafe abortion and the impact of its illegality on women's health and on the quality of reproductive health care in five Brazilian states: Pernambuco, Bahia, and Paraíba, in the Northeastern region; Mato Grosso do Sul, in the Central-Western region; and Rio de Janeiro in the Southeastern region. The methodology used a combination of quantitative and qualitative data. Overall, the abortion care situation is similar in the various states researched, where there is predominantly inhumane treatment that discriminates against, stigmatizes, and punishes the women who undergo abortion. Data from Bahia and Mato Grosso do Sul, states with a high percentage of black and indigenous women, respectively, enriched our work, showing how race/ethnicity and social class associate the issue of clandestine abortion with the vulnerability of social groups, making it also a social justice problem. 6 Misoprostol, known as Cytotec®, is reported by the PNA authors as the most commonly used medication for termination of pregnancy. 7 See ANVISA's Decree No. 344/98.
Acceptance of induced abortion amongst medical students and physicians in Mexico
PubMed, 2006
Background: Abortion is illegal in most of Mexico, except in the case of rape or physical risk to the mother, but there are several indicators that suggest that at least in Mexico City, society would like to have a more liberal law. The present study was performed to learn what several groups of physicians and medical students residing outside of Mexico City think in this regard. Methods: Seven colleagues working in different cities agreed to apply a questionnaire to physicians and or medical students available to them, to learn their opinions regarding the acceptability of induced abortion in several scenarios. Questions one to tree inquires if abortion is acceptable up to week 20 of pregnancy at the simple request of the parents, if the fetus has a severe malformation or anencephaly. Questions four to six personalize the situations by supposing that the physician or spouse have a high risk of having a malformed child. Question seven asks if they would offer prenatal diagnosis to a mother who would abort a malformed fetus. Statistical procedure includes multivariate analysis. Results: The inter-city physicians-students composition was very heterogeneous. The majority of respondents disagreed with abortion on demand of the parents, but clearly agrees to it in the presence of severe malformations. In general males, above 30 years old physicians and less religious individuals, are more in favor to abortion than their respective counterparts. The proportion of acceptance is over 70% in most cases. Conclusion: We believe that this work shows a preliminary indication of a national trend amongst physicians and medical students favoring induced early abortion if the fetus has a severe malformation.
Knowledge of medical abortion among Brazilian medical students
International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 2012
To assess the knowledge of Brazilian medical students regarding medical abortion (MA) and the use of misoprostol for MA, and to investigate factors influencing their knowledge. Methods: All students from 3 medical schools in São Paulo State were invited to complete a pretested structured questionnaire with precoded response categories. A set of 12 statements on the use and effects of misoprostol for MA assessed their level of knowledge. Of about 1260 students invited to participate in the study, 874 completed the questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 69%. The χ 2 test was used for the bivariate analysis, which was followed by multiple regression analysis. Results: Although all students in their final year of medical school had heard of misoprostol for termination of pregnancy, and 88% reported having heard how to use it, only 8% showed satisfactory knowledge of its use and effects. Academic level was the only factor associated with the indicators of knowledge investigated. Conclusion: The very poor knowledge of misoprostol use for MA demonstrated by the medical students surveyed at 3 medical schools makes the review and updating of the curriculum urgently necessary.