Marcella Simões Timm

Being born at home is natural: care rituals for home birth

OBJECTIVE To be aware of the care rituals developed by families when preparing for home birth during the gestational process. METHOD Qualitative and ethnographic research developed with families during the gestational process. We adopted the observation-participation-reflection model, and the analysis was performed according to ethnonursing. RESULTS Care rituals are related to the choice of home as a place for childbirth, being characterized as a familys rite of separation to experience this process. Other care rituals involved the preparation of the family and the eldest child as well as the home, the body, and the mind of the pregnant woman, and the choice of destination of the placenta. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS We must understand the birth process beyond the biological perspective, considering women and their family as a whole, within a cultural context with their beliefs and values.

Acesso a medidas de detecção precoce do câncer de mama por mulheres em tratamento oncológico

Aim: to identify measures of early detection and pre-diagnostic conducts performed by women in treatment for breast cancer in public and private health institutions. Metodo: a quantitative, exploratory and descriptive study, carried out with 110 women undergoing oncological treatment in the city of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Data were collected from July to October 2014 and analyzed through descriptive statistics. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee, opinion no 718.978. Resultados: the majority of the participants performed regular clinical examination of the breasts (80.9%), self-examination of the breasts (77.3%) and mammography (60%). The first clinical sign was perceived by self-examination (69.1%). In the course of diagnosis, 73.6% reported no difficulties. The mean time elapsed between detection of the first signal and the beginning of treatment was five months. Conclusao: self-examination of the breasts was the most commonly used method of early detection, with clinical examination and mammography performed annually