High risk pregnancy referrals adequacy in the Basic Health Services of Sobral, Ceará, Brazil

Objective: To describe the appropriateness of referrals of high-risk pregnancies in the basic healthcare network of Sobral, in Ceará, Brazil. Methods: A descriptive quantitative study. The medical files of 173 pregnant patients referred to the high-risk outpatient clinic of Centro de Especialidades Médicas of Sobral, during the period from July 2006 to April 2007, were analyzed. Variables analyzed were correctness of the referrals, professionals who made them, causes and origins of the referrals, and age bracket of the patients referred. The referrals were divided into “appropriate” and “inappropriate”, according to the classification of risk established by the technical manual of the Ministry of Health. Rresults: Of the 173 cases, 102 (59%) were considered appropriate/correct, and 71 (41%) referrals were considered inappropriate/incorrect. The referrals were divided according to the professional class of the referring individuals: physicians or nurses. Of the 173 referrals, 49 (28.3%) were made by physicians, and 124 (71.7%) by nurses. Of the 49 patients referred by physicians, 39 (79.6%) were considered correct. Of the 124 referrals made by nurses, 63 (50.8%) were considered incorrect, revealing a significant difference between the groups (p < 0.00001). The most common causes of referrals of pregnant patients were hypertensive syndromes (23.6%), physiological modifications of pregnancy (22.6%), prolonged pregnancy (15.1%), and diabetes (12.3%). Cconclusions: There was a low rate of appropriate/correct referrals. There is a need for training in the basic healthcare network for quality prenatal care, with special emphasis on referring nurses