[Quality assessment of treatment associated with abortion: a prototype questionnaire for health services users]. / Avaliação da qualidade da atenção ao aborto: protótipo de questionário para usuárias de serviços de saúde.

Little research in Brazil has focused on the quality of care following unsafe abortion. This article presents the first step in the development of an instrument to assess hospital care provided by the Brazilian Unified National Health System in three cities of Brazil. Along with related criteria, four key dimensions of care were defined: wellcome and guidance, technical quality of care, continuity of care, and supplies and physical environment. The authors performed a cross-cultural adaptation of a set of items proposed by the World Health Organization. Following an assessment of the dimensions and criteria not captured by this set, the researchers decided to adapt questions from related studies and to add others developed by the research team itself. The questionnaire was pretested in 52 patients from three cities to assess the acceptance, understanding, and time of application and to make final adjustments. The instrument totaled 55 items organized according to different stages of care. Its expanded use depends on subsequent psychometric assessments, currently underway.

Atenção ao aborto no Sistema Único de Saúde no Nordeste Brasileiro: a estrutura dos serviços / Abortion care in the Brazilian National Health Service in the Northeast of Brazil: the structure of services

Avaliar a estrutura de maternidades que prestam atenção a mulheres em situação de abortamento no Sistema Único de Saúde, em Salvador, Recife e São Luís. Métodos: foram selecionadas três maternidades em cada capital. Os dados foram obtidos por entrevista com gerente do serviço ou equipe de direção e observação direta. Utilizou-se instrumento com 120 questões pontuadas abrangendo seis componentes - planta física, recursos materiais, recursos humanos, materiais de consumo, educação em saúde e ferramentas de gestão que incorporam quatro dimensões de avaliação - insumo/ambiente físico; qualidade técnica e gerencial do cuidado; acolhimento/orientação e continuidade da atenção. Os resultados foram categorizados pelo percentual obtido em relação ao máximo esperado: suficiente (B a 80 por cento); intermediário (de 50 por cento a 79 por cento); insuficiente (< 50 por cento). Resultados: os componentes melhor pontuados foram planta física, recursos materiais e material de consumo. Educação em saúde e ferramentas de gestão tiveram pior pontuação. Nenhuma unidade atingiu nível considerado suficiente. Sete foram classificadas no nível intermediário e duas insuficiente. Conclusões: as unidades estudadas não apresentam estrutura adequada para o modelo de atenção ao abortamento preconizado. Há necessidade de intervenções para qualificar a estrutura dos serviços para a atenção ao aborto e promover a huma-nização do cuidado...

To assess the structure of maternity hospitals that provide care for woman undergoing abortions in the Brazilian National Health Service in the cities of Salvador, Recife and São Luís. Methods: three maternity hospitals were selected in each State capital. The data were obtained by way of interviews with the service manager or team of directors and direct observation. The interviews involved 120 questions divided into six sections - physical infrastructure, material resources, human resources, consumable materials, health education and management tools, covering four areas of evaluation - materials/physical environment; technical quality and care management; reception/guidance and continuity of care. The results were presented as a percentage of the maximum possible score: adequate (B80 percent); average (50 percent - 79 percent); inadequate (< 50 percent). Results: the highest scoring sections were physical infrastructure, material resources and consumable materials. Health education and management tools received the worst scores. No unit was deemed to have attained an adequate level of care. Seven were classified as average and two as inadequate. Conclusions: the units studied did not have an adequate structure for the intended abortion care model. There is a need for intervention to improve the structure of abortion care services and to promote the humanization of care...

[Contraceptive practices and sexual initiation among young people in three Brazilian State capitals]. / Práticas contraceptivas e iniciação sexual entre jovens de três capitais brasileiras.

This study investigated contraceptive use during first sexual intercourse among 2.790 young men and women. The GRAVAD household survey in three Brazilian capital cities involved interviews in a probabilistic sample. A hierarchical logistic regression analysis was used. Variables grouped as: macro-social, socialization and sexual initiation, context of sexual initiation, and characteristics of the interviewee and his or her partner. The prevalence of contraceptive use was 68.3% for women and 65.3% for men. Among women, contraception use was associated to: per capita monthly family income, color/race, and the use of women's magazines as a source of information on pregnancy and contraception. For both genders, use was more frequent when partners discussed pregnancy prevention before intercourse, when sexual initiation was delayed and in a motel, and when the partner was patient. The interval between the start of the relationship and sexual initiation appeared associated to use during sexual initiation for men. Results suggest that macro-social factors determine more frequent contraception use during sexual initiation for women, while for men the relational context is more important.

Práticas contraceptivas e iniciação sexual entre jovens de três capitais brasileiras / Contraceptive practices and sexual initiation among young people in three Brazilian State capitals

Este estudo investigou o uso de contraceptivos na primeira relação sexual de 2.790 homens e mulheres. Trata-se de inquérito domiciliar em três capitais brasileiras, com entrevistas de amostra probabilística (Pesquisa GRAVAD). Utilizou-se análise de regressão logística. As variáveis foram agrupadas em: determinantes macrossociais, socialização e entrada na sexualidade, contexto da iniciação sexual e características da/o jovem e da/o parceira/o. A prevalência de foi de 68,3 por cento e de 65,3 por cento na dos homens. Entre elas, a contracepção associou-se à: renda familiar per capita, cor/raça e revistas femininas como fontes de informação sobre gravidez e contracepção. Para ambos os sexos, o uso foi mais freqüente quando houve conversa prévia sobre o tema entre parceiros, a iniciação sexual foi mais tardia e em motel, e o/a parceiro/a paciente. O tempo entre o início do relacionamento e a iniciação sexual mostrou-se associado ao uso na iniciação sexual dos rapazes. Fatores macrossociais parecem determinar a contracepção mais freqüente na iniciação sexual das mulheres, enquanto para os homens o contexto relacional é mais importante.

This study investigated contraceptive use during first sexual intercourse among 2.790 young men and women. The GRAVAD household survey in three Brazilian capital cities involved interviews in a probabilistic sample. A hierarchical logistic regression analysis was used. Variables grouped as: macro-social, socialization and sexual initiation, context of sexual initiation, and characteristics of the interviewee and his or her partner. The prevalence of contraceptive use was 68.3 percent for women and 65.3 percent for men. Among women, contraception use was associated to: per capita monthly family income, color/race, and the use of women's magazines as a source of information on pregnancy and contraception. For both genders, use was more frequent when partners discussed pregnancy prevention before intercourse, when sexual initiation was delayed and in a motel, and when the partner was patient. The interval between the start of the relationship and sexual initiation appeared associated to use during sexual initiation for men. Results suggest that macro-social factors determine more frequent contraception use during sexual initiation for women, while for men the relational context is more important.