Continuing education in prenatal care

reflections on extension actions in primary health care

Abstract

Objective: to provide a report on the experience of an extension program on prenatal care for Primary Health Care professionals in a municipality in the coastal lowlands of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Method: this was a descriptive study, reporting the experience of a higher education institution running a refresher course on prenatal care, with an emphasis on sexual and reproductive health. Results: the profile of the participants reveals a predominance of cisgender females, nurses, who graduated less than five years ago from private institutions, aged between 20 and 39, and working in family health strategy units. The contents offered by the refresher course covered obstetric risk classification, immunization of pregnant women, reproductive rights, management of STIs, HIV and viral hepatitis during prenatal care, partner prenatal care, among others. The participants' evaluation of the topics covered, course duration, didactics, dynamics, content and how much added to their professional practice was considered satisfactory/ very satisfactory. Conclusion: the extension action proved to be beneficial for the professional development and updating of participants, promoting the exchange of experiences and access to updated materials based on scientific evidence.