Planned home birth assistance: challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the challenges faced by urban midwives in assisting planned home births during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Qualitative study, based on the Collective Subject Discourse methodological framework, carried out with eight professionals, members of a birth care collective from the northeast region of Brazil. Data was collected between September and October of 2020 using the focus group technique. RESULTS: The collective discourses revealed five central ideas: Changing assistance strategy; Dealing with frustration; Facing the fear of contamination; Avoiding exposure to the virus; and Keeping distance during the care process. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: The challenging condition the pandemic brings to the care of planned home births is made evident, being marked by the need for collective protection and the pressure of following health recommendations. The study also points out the need for official protocols and good quality information based on scientific evidence and humanizing principles to guide health care.

Covid-19 and chronic diseases: impacts and developments before the pandemic

Objetivo: refletir sobre o elevado risco de complicações da COVID-19 em pessoas portadoras de doenças crônicas não transmissíveis, bem como os possíveis desdobramentos para aqueles acometidos pela doença. Método: Revisão narrativa, desenvolvida com base em artigos publicados em periódicos e documentos de órgãos oficiais nacionais. Resultados: O estudo permitiu a reflexão acerca da vulnerabilidade das pessoas com doenças crônicas no contexto de pandemia pelo novo coronavírus, bem como os impactos para esse público. Esse cenário impacta substancialmente nos serviços de saúde, e sinaliza para a necessidade de uma atenção diferenciada no que tange as medidas de prevenção. Conclusão: O atual cenário apresenta-se com muitos desafios para a população, o que requer ações de autocuidado e atendimento às medidas de prevenção que visem o resguardo individual e coletivo. Objetivo: reflexionar sobre el alto riesgo de complicaciones de la COVID-19 en personas con enfermedades crónicas no transmisibles, así como las posibles consecuencias para los afectados por la enfermedad. Método: revisión narrativa, desarrollada sobre la base de artículos publicados en revistas y documentos oficiales de organismos nacionales. Resultados: el estudio permitió la reflexión acerca de la vulnerabilidad de las personas con enfermedades crónicas en el contexto de la pandemia del nuevo coronavirus, así como los impactos de esta población. Esta situación repercute considerablemente en los servicios de salud, y señala la necesidad de una atención diferenciada con respecto a las medidas de prevención. Conclusión: el escenario actual se presenta con muchos desafíos para la población, que requiere acciones de autocuidado y el atendimiento a las medidas preventivas encaminadas a la protección individual y colectiva. Objective: to reflect on the high risk of complications of COVID-19 in people with chronic non-communicable diseases, as well as the possible consequences for those affected by the disease. Method: narrative review, developed based on articles published in journals and documents of official national agencies. Results: the study allowed the reflection about the vulnerability of people with chronic diseases in the context of the new coronavirus pandemic, as well as the impacts to this population. This scenario substantially impacts health services, and highlights the need for a differentiated attention regarding the prevention measures. Conclusion: the current scenario presents itself with many challenges for the population, which requires self-care actions and meetings preventive measures aimed at the individual and collective safety.