The experiences of privately practising midwives in Australia who have been reported to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: In Australia the majority of homebirths are attended by privately practising midwives (PPMs). In recent years PPMs have been increasingly reported to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) mostly by other health professionals. PURPOSE: to explore the experiences of PPMs in Australia who have been reported to the AHPRA. METHODS: A qualitative interpretive approach, employing in-depth interviews with eight PPMs was undertaken and analysed using thematic analysis. A feminist theoretical framework was used to underpin the research. RESULTS: The majority of reports made to AHPRA occurred when midwives supported women who chose care considered outside the recommended Australian College of Midwives (ACM) Consultation and Referral Guidelines. During data analysis an overarching theme emerged, "Caught between women and the system", which described the participants' feelings of working as a PPM in Australia. There were six themes and several sub-themes: The suppression of midwifery, A flawed system, Lack of support, Devastation on so many levels, Making changes in the aftermath and Walking a tight rope forever. The findings from this study reveal that midwives who are under investigation suffer from emotional and psychological distress. Understanding the effects of the process of investigation is important to improve the quality of professional and personal support available to PPMs who are reported to AHPRA and to streamline processes. CONCLUSION: It is becoming increasingly difficult for PPMs to support the wishes and needs of individual women and also meet the requirements of the regulators, as well as the increasingly risk averse health service.

The completion of partograms: knowledge, attitudes and practices of midwives in a public health obstetric unit in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

INTRODUCTION: most maternal and 24.3% of infant deaths occur during childbirth. Interventions during childbirth may reduce maternal and neonatal deaths. The Guidelines for maternity care in South Africa (2015) stipulates that all observations during labour should be recorded on a partogram. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes of nursing personnel and to evaluate their practices of completing partograms at National District Hospital, South Africa. METHODS: a two-phase, quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive study design was used. In phase 1, the knowledge and attitudes of midwives and nurses were evaluated. Midwives and nurses completed anonymous, self-administered questionnaires that assessed their knowledge and attitudes. In Phase 2, partogram practices were measured by assessing completed partograms using a data collection tick sheet. RESULTS: twelve of the 17 nursing personnel completed the questionnaires. More than 90% of participants answered basic partogram knowledge questions correctly, but only two thirds knew the criteria for obstructive labour and just more than half that for foetal distress. Participants displayed a positive attitude toward the use of partograms. Of the 171 randomly selected vaginal deliveries during the study period, only 57.1% delivered with a completed partogram. Most elements of foetal monitoring and progress of labour scored above 80%, however, for maternal monitoring scored poorly in 26.4% of cases. CONCLUSION: although 71.4% of partograms scored more than 75% for completion, the critical components that influence maternal and foetal death, like the identification of foetal distress, maternal wellbeing and progress of labour, were lacking.

Early or delayed umbilical cord clamping? Experiences and perceptions of nurse-midwives and obstetricians at a regional referral hospital in Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Umbilical cord clamping is a crucial step during the third stage of labour that separates the newborn from the placenta. Despite the available evidence that delayed umbilical cord clamping is more beneficial to infants, as well as the existence of 2014 WHO recommendation that the umbilical cord should be clamped between 1 and 3 minutes, its implementation is still low in many countries including Tanzania. OBJECTIVE: This study describes the experiences and perceptions of nurse-midwives`and obstetricians`about the timing of umbilical cord clamping at a regional referral hospital in Tanzania. METHODS: A descriptive qualitative study design that adopted a purposeful sampling strategy to recruit 19 participants was used. Nine semi-structured interviews with six nurse-midwives`and three obstetricians`, as well as one focus group discussion with ten nurse-midwives`were conducted. Thematic analysis guided the analysis of data. RESULTS: Three main themes generated from the data, each having 2 to 5 subthemes. 1. Experiences about the timing of umbilical cord clamping. 2. Perceptions about the umbilical cord clamping. 3. Factors influencing the practice of delayed umbilical cord clamping to improve newborn health outcomes. CONCLUSION: Although the nurse-midwives`and obstetricians`commonly practiced clamping the umbilical cord immediately after delivery, they understood that delayed cord clamping has a potential benefit of oxygenation to the newborn in the event of the need for resuscitation. To move forward with the good practice in maternal and newborn care, proper pre-service and providers training on matters underlying childbirth is essential to address the gap of knowledge. Delayed cord clamping should be practiced widely to improve the health outcomes of the newborn.

Evaluation of a student-led midwifery group practice: A woman's perspective.

BACKGROUND: . OBJECTIVE: To evaluate women's experiences of a student-led midwifery group practice. DESIGN: A mixed methods design was used to examine women's experiences and level of satisfaction about a student-led midwifery model of care. An on-line survey elucidated women's levels of satisfaction and experiences with the student-led midwifery group practice. The online survey was sent to all women (n = 25) who were receiving care from third year Bachelor of Midwifery students in 2018 via email up to 6 weeks postnatally. The online survey was distributed in the first instance to obtain baseline information about the importance of this student-led midwifery group practice and so the survey information was linked to the in-depth interview in the analysis for the purpose of identifying if the women were primiparous or multiparous. Women (n = 9) were invited to participate in an in-depth interview by self-opting on the survey and this extra data provided a richer understanding about the level of satisfaction about woman-centred care led by midwifery students. Retrospective data were also collected from the Maternity database - E-Maternity about birth outcomes. SETTING: A tertiary teaching public hospital in New South Wales (NSW). PARTICIPANTS: Fifteen women participated in an online survey. Five primiparous and four multiparous women opted to be involved in the in-depth interviews on the online survey. MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS: Analysis in SPSS provided descriptive statistics including frequencies and percentages of data including birth outcomes. Simple correlations enabled associations to be established between levels of satisfaction, individualised care, quality of care, benefits and anxiety during pregnancy. The overarching themes from the qualitative findings identified the students' presence for the women as the most important component of the women's journey. The four main themes that emerged from the study included: familiarity of the caregiver, staying informed on the journey, feeling supported and reassured by their expertise, and control and decisions over birth events. KEY CONCLUSIONS: For a variety of reasons, women valued the presence of the students throughout their childbearing journey, including valuing the woman's private space during labour and her time with her partner. This combination of pedagogical approaches provides an alternative to the current placement approach, which includes working shifts in all areas of maternity. This approach will better support midwifery students to achieve the skills necessary to provide a continuity of care experience (CoCE) amongst a small team by a student-led midwifery group practice that is supported by a registered midwife in the antenatal clinic. The midwifery student is able to develop a relationship with the woman as a component of the CoCE under the guidance of a registered midwife and this is an important underpinning of the philosophy of woman-centred care. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This model of care provides evidence that women do value the students' support and presence throughout their experience and that the benefits of this model should be offered to all women as a normal component of their midwifery care.

Recommendations for spiritual care in cancer patients: a clinical practice guideline for oncology nurses in Iran.

BACKGROUND: In spite of the necessity of implementing spiritual care practices for cancer patients, there is no clear process in this regard in palliative care programs of the health system of countries. The present study was designed with the aim of developing a clinical practice guideline of spiritual care in cancer patients for oncology nurses in the current context. METHODS: This is a multi-method study which was conducted in five stages within the framework of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline. A research committee consisting of four focal and 16 secondary members was formed. The stages included determining the scope of the study, developing guideline (a qualitative study and a systematic review, triangulation of the data, and producing a preliminary draft), consultation stage (validation of the guideline in three rounds of the Delphi study), as well as revision and publication stages. RESULTS: The clinical guideline of spiritual care with 84 evidence-based recommendations was developed in three main areas, including the human resources, care settings, and the process of spiritual care. CONCLUSIONS: We are hoping by applying this clinical guideline in oncology settings to move towards an integrated spiritual care plan for cancer patients in the context of our health system. Healthcare organizations should support to form spiritual care teams under supervision of the oncology nurses with qualified healthcare providers and a trained clergy. Through holistic care, they can constantly examine the spiritual needs of cancer patients alongside their other needs by focusing on the phases of the nursing process.

Relative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the midwifery-led care in Nova Scotia, Canada: A retrospective, cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To compare neonatal and maternal outcomes, and the relative risk of interventions between mothers attended to by midwives, general practitioners, and obstetricians, and to assess the cost-effectiveness of the employee-model of midwifery-led care in Nova Scotia, Canada, when compared with general practitioners. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The study was a retrospective cohort study involving routinely collected clinical and administrative data from all low-risk births from January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2017. There were 24,662 observations. MEASUREMENTS: Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the mother's socio-demographic characteristics. We used a nearest-neighbour matching estimator in assessing differences in outcomes, and generalized linear models in the estimation of the risks of interventions, adjusting for potential confounders. An analytic decision tree served as the vehicle for the cost-effectiveness analysis, assessed using the net monetary benefit approach. All health care resources utilized were measured and valued. Neonatal intensive care admissions avoided was the measure of outcome. We performed probabilistic sensitivity and subgroup analyses. FINDINGS: Mothers attended to by midwives spent less time at the hospital during birth admissions, were less likely to have interventions, instrumental births, and more likely to have exclusive breastfeeding at discharge from birth admission. There were no differences in Apgar scores and neonatal intensive care unit admissions. The employee-model of midwifery-led care was found to be cost-effective. KEY CONCLUSIONS: The midwifery program is both effective and cost-effective for low-risk pregnancies IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Increasing the number of midwives will increase access and represents value for money.

MedManage: The development of a tool to assist medication reconciliation in a rural primary care clinic.

BACKGROUND: Medication reconciliation is a critical step in the health care process to prevent hospital readmission, adverse drug events, and fall prevention. The purpose of the study was to pilot test a medication reconciliation process, MedManage, informed by the Medications at Transitions and Clinical Handoffs (MATCH) toolkit with nursing staff in a rural primary care clinic. METHODS: The research team conducted 38 chart audits of high-risk patients, and preintervention and postintervention were conducted to assess changes in medications reported by patients. The intervention included a chart audit tool and medication reconciliation tool created by the interdisciplinary team, MedManage, were pilot tested in the clinic. CONCLUSIONS: The Use of MedManage resulted in improvements in patient reporting of over-the-counter (82% of patients reported previously unrecorded OTCs), PRN medications (3% unreported), and herbal supplements/vitamins (28% reported previously unrecorded vitamins). IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: MedManage may be an effective tool to assist clinical nursing staff to attain a more complete and accurate medication list from patients and should be assessed more broadly across rural primary care clinics.

Evaluation of the adherence of distress screening with the distress thermometer in cancer patients 4 years after implementation.

PURPOSE: Identifying and assessing psychosocial distress with an appropriate screening instrument is essential when caring for cancer patients. Since 2012, the distress thermometer (DT) has been used by nurses for all cancer inpatients at the Comprehensive Cancer Center Zurich. We wanted to identify nurses' adherence to the screening protocol, differences between screened and not screened patients and the relationship between screening rate and productivity. METHODS: This retrospective descriptive study used screening and referral data as well as socioeconomic and disease-related data of inpatients at the Comprehensive Cancer Center Zurich. This was collected from the electronic patient documentation system. Additionally, data showing the productivity of all wards was used. All data were analyzed descriptive. RESULTS: Since 2012, 40.6% (4541) of the 11,184 patients have been screened. The screening rate was initially significantly lower but settled at 40% after 2 years. There was a higher screening rate among Swiss, married, male, and emergency patients and patients with hematology diseases, brain tumors, or head and neck cancer (p < 0.001). Every fourth patient with a moderate to severe distress level requested referral to a psychosocial service. Significantly more screened patients were referred to the social service (44.7%) than to the psycho-oncology service (9.4%). Only 22.9% of all referrals were made on the day of screening or a day later. There were only two wards of 15 with a significant relationship between productivity and screening rate. CONCLUSIONS: Screening is useful in recognizing distress among patients, but screening practice needs to be reconsidered.

Global competencies for midwives: external cephalic version; ultrasonography, and tobacco cessation intervention.

PROBLEM AND BACKGROUND: The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) conducts regular updates to the Essential Competencies for Basic Midwifery Practice to determine the introduction or retention of items in the global scope of midwifery practice guidance document. AIM: This article presents the review process that underpinned the deliberation about three specific clinical practices: external cephalic version, prenatal ultrasonography, and tobacco cessation interventions that occurred during the 2016-2017 global update study. METHODS: A brief outline of the research methodology used in the 2016-2017 study is provided. Literature summaries about safety and effectiveness of three clinical skills are offered. Data addressing global and regional variations in support of each practice and final disposition of the items are documented. FINDINGS: External cephalic version did not receive sufficient document support for inclusion in the initial list of items to be tested in the study. Prenatal ultrasonography was supported as an advanced (76.6%) or country-specific (18.8%) skill that midwives could acquire, to promote wider global access for pregnant women. Midwives' participation in tobacco cessation counselling was supported (≥85%) in each of ICM's regions. Knowledge about World Health Organization recommendations for nicotine replacement therapy was endorsed as an additional (62.4%) or country-specific (29.3%) skill. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The current evidence of safety of midwives performing external cephalic version led to the recommendation that it be considered in the next document update. Conflicting views of midwives' role in acquiring skills to conduct prenatal ultrasound were evident. There was strong support for participation in smoking cessation counselling, but knowledge of World Health Organization recommendations was not highly endorsed.

Using patient-reported outcome measures to deliver enhanced supportive care to people with lung cancer: feasibility and acceptability of a nurse-led consultation model.

PURPOSE: Developing new supportive/palliative care services for lung cancer should encompass effective ways to promptly identify and address patients' healthcare needs. We examined whether an in-clinic, nurse-led consultation model, which was driven by use of a patient-reported outcomes (PRO) measure, was feasible and acceptable in the identification of unmet needs in patients with lung cancer. METHODS: A two-part, repeated-measures, mixed-methods study was conducted. Part 1 employed literature reviews and stakeholder focus group interviews to inform selection of a population-appropriate needs assessment PRO measure. In Part 2, lung cancer nurse specialists (CNS) conducted three consecutive monthly consultations with patients. Recruitment/retention data, PRO data, and exit interview data were analysed. RESULTS: The Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral to Care was the PRO measure selected based on Part 1 data. Twenty patients (response rate: 26%) participated in Part 2; 13 (65%) participated in all three consultations/assessments. The PRO measure helped patients to structure their thinking and prompted them to discuss previously underreported and/or sensitive issues, including such topics as family concerns, or death and dying. Lung CNS highlighted how PRO-measures-driven consultations differed from previous ones, in that their scope was broadened to allow nurses to offer personalised care. Small-to-moderate reductions in all domains of need were noted over time. CONCLUSIONS: Nurse-led PRO-measures-driven consultations are acceptable and conditionally feasible to holistically identify and effectively manage patient needs in modern lung cancer care. PRO data should be systematically collected and audited to assist in the provision of supportive care to people with lung cancer.

Midwifery one-to-one support in labour: More than a ratio.

OBJECTIVE: To explore midwifery one-to-one support in labour in a real world context of midwife-led birth environments. DESIGN: Ethnographic study. Data was collected from 30 observations inside and outside the birth environments in three different birth settings. Semi-structured interviews were completed following the births with 29 low-risk women and 30 midwives with at least one year labour support experience to gain their perspectives. Twenty-seven maternity records were also analysed. SETTING: An alongside midwife-led unit, freestanding midwife-led unit and women's homes in England. FINDINGS: Six components of care were identified that required balance inside midwife-led birth environments: (1) presence, (2) midwife-woman relationships, (3) coping strategies, (4) labour progress, (5) birthing partners and (6) midwifery support. Midwives used their knowledge, experience and intuitive skills to synchronise their care for the six components to work in balance. Balancing of the six components have been translated into continuums representing the labour care and requirements. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Midwifery one-to-one support in labour is more than a ratio when translated into clinical practice. When the balance of the six components were tuned into the needs of women, women were satisfied with their labour and birth experience, even when it did not go to plan. A one midwife to one woman ratio should be available for all women in labour.

Evaluation of a bespoke training to increase uptake by midwifery teams of NICE Guidance for membrane sweeping to reduce induction of labour: a stepped wedge cluster randomised design.

BACKGROUND: National guidance recommends pregnant women are offered membrane sweeping at term to reduce induction of labour. Local audit suggested this was not being undertaken routinely across two maternity units in the West Midlands, UK between March and November 2012. METHODS: Bespoke training session for midwifery teams (nine community and one antenatal clinic) was developed to address identified barriers to encourage offer of membrane sweeping, together with an information leaflet for women and appointment of a champion within each team. The timing of training session on membrane sweeping to ten midwifery teams was randomly allocated using a stepped wedge cluster randomised design. All women who gave birth in the Trusts after 39 + 3/40 weeks gestation within the study time period were eligible. Relevant anonymised data were extracted from maternity notes for three months before and after training. Data were analysed using a generalised linear mixed model, allowing for clustering and adjusting for temporal effects. Primary outcomes were number of women offered and accepting membrane sweeping and average number of sweeps per woman. Sub-group comparisons were undertaken for adherence to Trust guidance and potential influence of pre-specified maternal characteristics. Data included whether sweeping was offered but declined and no record of membrane sweeping. RESULTS: Training was given to all teams as planned. Analyses included data from 2787 of the 2864 (97%) eligible low-risk women over 39 + 4 weeks pregnant. Characteristics of the women were similar before and after training. No evidence of difference in proportion of women being offered and accepting membrane sweeping (44.4% before training versus 46.8% after training (adjusted relative risk [aRR] = 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.71-1.13), nor in average number of sweeps per woman (0.603 versus 0.627, aRR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.67-1.01). No differences in any secondary outcomes nor influence of maternal characteristics were demonstrated. The midwives evaluated training positively. CONCLUSIONS: This stepped wedge cluster trial enabled randomised evaluation within a natural roll-out and demonstrates the importance of robust evaluation in circumstances in which it is rarely undertaken. While the midwives evaluated the training positively, it did not appear to change practice. TRIALS REGISTRATION: ISRCTN14300475 . Registered on 23 August 2016.

Exploring the concept of continuous midwifery-led care and its dimensions in the prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal periods in Iran (Kashan).

AIM: to explore the concept of continuous care and its dimensions in the prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal periods based on the experiences of midwives, gynaecologists, obstetricians, pregnant women and their husbands. DESIGN: a qualitative study that was part of a large scale action research which aimed to develop, use and test a continuous midwifery-led care model. Data collection and analysis were performed concurrently through undertaking semi-structured interviews and using the conventional content analysis approach. SETTING: healthcare centres and hospitals affiliated to Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran. PARTICIPANTS: 21 women following a recent pregnancy, five husbands, 18 midwives, and five physicians who had different official positions. FINDINGS: the participants' experiences revealed five concepts for continuous midwifery-led care which included continuity, the process of care, education and informing, management, and professionalism. Each of these five concepts consisted of several categories. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE: according to the study participants, continuous midwifery-led prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal care is a multidimensional and important concept. Given the differences in the health infrastructures of different countries as well as the unique characteristics of pregnancy, higher priorities are recommended to be given to continuous midwifery-led care and its dimensions.

Impact of Professional Nursing Practices on Patient/Nurse Outcomes: Testing the Essential Professional Nursing Practices Instrument.

Increasing patient and healthcare system complexity and the need to accurately measure the engagement of clinical nurses (CNs) in holistic, professional nursing practice indicates that an update to the Essentials of Magnetism instrument is needed. The purposes of this research were to critique and weight items, assess the value and psychometric properties of the newly constructed Essential Professional Nursing Practices (EPNP) instrument, and establish relationships between EPNPs and CN job, practice, and nurse-assessed patient satisfaction.

Normative grounds of health care practice in Brazilian nursing. / Fundamentos normativos para a prática do cuidado realizado pela enfermagem brasileira.

OBJECTIVE:: to understand the normative grounds of health care practice in Brazilian nursing. METHOD:: qualitative study with the use of document research, carried out based on resolutions of the Federal Nursing Council. From a total of 263 resolutions, in the period from 1975 to 2015, 38 which were in accordance with the objective of the study were selected. RESULTS:: three analytical categories were systematized: Normative grounds of health care practice by the nursing team, under coordination/supervision of the nurse; Normative grounds of the care performed privately by the nurse; and Management and administrative aspects which affect and permeate the practice of health care in nursing. CONCLUSION:: the set of normative grounds of health care practice by the nursing team leads to the reflection on the possible overlapping of attributions between professional levels and requires expansion to the other fields of nursing which are coherent with the health care network model.

Fundamentos normativos para a prática do cuidado realizado pela enfermagem brasileira / Bases normativas para la práctica de los cuidados proporcionados por la enfermería brasileña / Normative grounds of health care practice in Brazilian nursing

RESUMO Objetivo: compreender como se definem os fundamentos normativos para a prática do cuidado realizado pela enfermagem brasileira. Método: estudo qualitativo, do tipo pesquisa documental, realizado com base nas resoluções do Conselho Federal de Enfermagem. De um total de 263 resoluções, no período de 1975 a 2015, foram selecionadas 38 que atenderam ao objetivo do estudo. Resultados: foram sistematizadas três categorias analíticas: Fundamentos normativos para a prática do cuidado realizado pela equipe de enfermagem, sob a coordenação/supervisão do enfermeiro; Fundamentos normativos para o cuidado realizado privativamente pelo enfermeiro; e Aspectos gerenciais e administrativos que condicionam e permeiam a prática do cuidado de enfermagem. Conclusão: o conjunto dos fundamentos normativos da prática do cuidado da equipe de enfermagem conduz à reflexão sobre a possível sobreposição de atribuições entre os níveis profissionais e requer ampliação para os demais campos de atuação da enfermagem, coerentes ao modelo de rede de atenção à saúde.

RESUMEN Objetivo: comprender cómo definir las bases normativas para la práctica de los cuidados proporcionados por la enfermería brasileña. Método: estudio cualitativo de la investigación de tipo documental, basado en las resoluciones del Consejo Federal de Enfermería. En un total de 263 resoluciones en el período 1975-2015, se seleccionaron 38 que cumplieron el objetivo del estudio. Resultados: fueron sistematizadas tres categorías analíticas: Bases normativas para la práctica de los cuidados proporcionados por el personal de enfermería, bajo la coordinación/supervisión de un enfermero; Bases normativas para los cuidados proporcionados exclusivamente por los enfermeros; y Los aspectos administrativos y de gestión que influyen e impregnan la práctica de los cuidados de enfermería. Conclusión: el conjunto de bases normativas de la práctica de los cuidados del personal de enfermería lleva a la reflexión acerca de la posible superposición de responsabilidades entre los niveles profesionales y requiere la expansión a otros campos de la actividad de enfermería, en consonancia con el modelo de red de cuidado de la salud.

ABSTRACT Objective: to understand the normative grounds of health care practice in Brazilian nursing. Method: qualitative study with the use of document research, carried out based on resolutions of the Federal Nursing Council. From a total of 263 resolutions, in the period from 1975 to 2015, 38 which were in accordance with the objective of the study were selected. Results: three analytical categories were systematized: Normative grounds of health care practice by the nursing team, under coordination/supervision of the nurse; Normative grounds of the care performed privately by the nurse; and Management and administrative aspects which affect and permeate the practice of health care in nursing. Conclusion: the set of normative grounds of health care practice by the nursing team leads to the reflection on the possible overlapping of attributions between professional levels and requires expansion to the other fields of nursing which are coherent with the health care network model.

Nurses' performance on indigenous and African-Brazilian health care practices. / Atuação de enfermeiros sobre práticas de cuidados afrodescendentes e indígenas.

OBJECTIVE:: to analyze the performance of nurses from the Estratégia Saúde da Família (Family Health Strategy) on health care practices rooted in African and Indigenous cultures. METHODS:: Thematic Oral History was used and interviews were conducted with seven participants, who worked with Primary Health Care in Northeastern Brazil. The analysis was based on Leininger's Theory of Cultural Care and the intercultural concept of human rights, among others. RESULTS:: nurses are unaware of the religious and historical context of the ethnic groups cared for and do not appreciate their self-care practices in areas with a predominance of African and indigenous cultures. These practices coexist with the hegemonic biomedical model. CONCLUSION:: the debate on cultural competence in the context of professional qualification and exercise is required, aiming to promote the nursing work in the perspective of diversity and comprehensiveness of health care.

Atuação de enfermeiros sobre práticas de cuidados afrodescendentes e indígenas / Actuación de los enfermeros en prácticas de cuidados afro descendientes e indígenas / Nurses' performance on indigenous and African-Brazilian health care practices

RESUMO Objetivo: analisar a atuação de enfermeiros da Estratégia Saúde da Família em relação às práticas de cuidados, cujas raízes têm origem nas culturas africana e indígena. Método: utilizou-se o método da História Oral Temática, em que se entrevistaram sete colaboradores atuantes na Atenção Básica de uma região do nordeste brasileiro. A análise foi fundamentada pela Teoria do Cuidado Cultural, de Leininger, concepção intercultural dos direitos humanos e outras. Resultados: os enfermeiros desconhecem o contexto histórico religioso dos grupos étnicos assistidos e desvalorizam suas práticas de autocuidado em territórios com predominância de culturas afro-indígenas. Essas práticas coexistem com o modelo biomédico, ainda hegemônico. Conclusão: faz-se necessário ampliar a discussão sobre competência cultural no âmbito da formação e exercício profissional, de modo a promover o trabalho de enfermagem na perspectiva da diversidade e da integralidade do cuidado em saúde.

RESUMEN Objetivo: Analizar la actuación de enfermeros de la Estrategia Salud de la Familia con relación a las prácticas de cuidados cuyas raíces se originan en las culturas africana e indígena. Método: Se utilizó el método de la Historia Oral Temática y se entrevistaron siete colaboradores actuantes en la Atención Básica de una región del noreste brasilero. El análisis se fundamentó en la Teoría de los Cuidados Culturales de Leininger, concepción intercultural de los derechos humanos, y otras. Resultado: Los enfermeros desconocen el contexto histórico religioso de los grupos étnicos atendidos y desvalorizan sus prácticas de auto cuidado en territorios con predominancia de culturas afro-indígenas. Dichas prácticas coexisten con el modelo biomédico, aunque de manera hegemónica. Consideraciones Finales: Es necesario ampliar la discusión sobre la competencia cultural en el ámbito de la formación y el ejercicio profesional para promover el trabajo de enfermería según la perspectiva de la diversidad y de la integridad en el cuidado de la salud.

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the performance of nurses from the Estratégia Saúde da Família (Family Health Strategy) on health care practices rooted in African and Indigenous cultures. Methods: Thematic Oral History was used and interviews were conducted with seven participants, who worked with Primary Health Care in Northeastern Brazil. The analysis was based on Leininger's Theory of Cultural Care and the intercultural concept of human rights, among others. Results: nurses are unaware of the religious and historical context of the ethnic groups cared for and do not appreciate their self-care practices in areas with a predominance of African and indigenous cultures. These practices coexist with the hegemonic biomedical model. Conclusion: the debate on cultural competence in the context of professional qualification and exercise is required, aiming to promote the nursing work in the perspective of diversity and comprehensiveness of health care.