O papel do enfermeiro frente à violência obstétrica

Abstract

The Obstetric violence is characterized by abusive practices, including physical, moral, patrimonial, or psychological violence against women during childbirth, postpartum, and the puerperium, occurring in both public and private healthcare systems. Preventive and, in some cases, interventional action is necessary to create a welcoming environment, ensuring respectful obstetric care that values human dignity. In this context, nurses play a fundamental role, given that their actions are immediate and essential to guarantee quality and safe obstetric care. This study aimed to identify the role of nurses in addressing obstetric violence, highlighting their role in promoting humanized care. This is an integrative literature review, with searches conducted in the Virtual Health Library (VHL), including databases such as LILACS and SciELO, in order to identify relevant scientific publications on the subject, published between 2013 and 2024. The results indicate that nurses are essential for the prevention of obstetric violence, especially regarding humanized treatment, in which the woman should be the protagonist. Their practice involves qualified listening, welcoming, and ensuring care based on scientific evidence, avoiding unnecessary interventions. Furthermore, it is the nurse's responsibility to identify situations of violence, guide pregnant women regarding their rights, and intervene safely, strengthening female protagonism in the labor and birth process. The role of nursing is essential to promote humanized obstetric care, free from violence and focused on improving the quality of maternal and infant care.