Access of pregnant women to technologies for the prevention and control of congenital syphilis in Fortaleza-Ceará, Brazil

Abstract

To evaluate access to technologies for prevention and control of Congenital Syphilis (CS) by pregnant women. Multi-case study that analyzed prenatal care to pregnant women with syphilis, which aimed at identifying the aspects that hinder their access to soft, soft-hard and hard health technologies that may contribute to the prevention of SC. The field research was done from April to September 2011 at four Health Units of two Regional Executive Divisions in Fortaleza City. Data was collected through observation and interviews with the health professionals and coordinators of the different units, the Statistic Medical Attendance Service professionals, health agents and pregnant women. Soft technologies include active search for pregnant women and home visits; light-hard technologies correspond to counseling, and hard technologies to the gathering of biological material for the serological diagnosis of syphilis and the treatment of pregnant woman and their sexual partners. The analysis consisted in contextualizing and interpreting the meanings of the answers obtained considering access as the main focus. Professionals have difficulty dealing with the subjective issues that involve sexually transmitted infections, and the units have problems in organizational aspects, continuity of care delivery and physical structure, which compromise the access of pregnant women to the technologies for prevention and control of CS. Pregnant women with syphilis do not have access to different technologies for prevention and control of CS, a situation that makes early diagnosis of syphilis unfeasible and possibly contributes to poor syphilis indicators in Fortaleza.