The role of the nurse in prenatal health education: an integrative review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34019/1809-8363.2023.v26.40521Keywords:
Nurse’s Role, Health Education, Health Promotion, Prenatal CareAbstract
Health education aims to provide individuals with autonomy and empower them to take control of their own health. Nurses play an important role in all health promotion activities, and this is no different in the context of maternal and child health. Prenatal consultations provide nurses an opportunity to educate pregnant women and their families, thereby reducing the risks during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. With this goal in mind, the present study seeks to depict the health education practices implemented by nurses in prenatal care in Brazil. An integrative review was conducted, involving searches of the LILACS, MEDLINE, BDENF, SCiELO, and CINAHL databases from November through December 2020. The selection of studies, data extraction, data synthesis, and critical appraisal were performed by two independent researchers. A total of 19 articles met the eligibility criteria and were included in the study for categorization. This research highlights the role of nurses as a key point in the health education of pregnant women and emphasizes the need to better train these professionals in order to stimulate an effective dialogue during the care process.