Abstract

MAYCA, Julio et al. Perceptions of health personnel and the community in relation to cultural appropriateness of maternal perinatal services in rural andean and amazonian areas from Huanuco region. Rev. perú. med. exp. salud publica [online]. 2009, vol.26, n.2, pp.145-160. ISSN 1726-4634.

Maternal mortality is a priority issue worldwide, most cases occur in underdeveloped countries with illiteracy, poorly accessible rural areas and with poor access and insufficient trained health personnel. Objectives. This study explores the perceptions of health personnel and the community in relation to cultural appropriateness of maternal perinatal services in the Huánuco Region, observing critical aspects of proposal offer and the needs of the population. Material and methods. Exploratory, cross-sectional, qualitative study. Including In depth (ID) interviews with health personnel and population focus groups (FG). Instruments included aspects such as appropriateness and acceptability of the service, staff training and understanding on these issues, and understanding of the health activities and services. Results. We conducted 15 ID and 15 FG. In the first case, the health staff spoke of the inadequacy of current infrastructure, improvement in the acceptance of service by the community and the need to achieve greater understanding of the topic within the community. The people expressed their perception about the inappropriateness for the service offered in the cultural context, little understanding of medical indications and their desire to incorporate more culture in these processes. Conclusions. Our maternity services are not adequately conditioned to the culture of the community and are therefore inadequate for a pregnant woman to find health consultation relevant to her cultural context and health customs. Is necessary to consider proposals developed by the community in order to offer services with social, cultural, and ethnic aspects identified by the community as their own.

Keywords : Cultural diversity; Maternal health services; Pregnancy; Parturition; Rural settlements; Peru.

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