Scientific Evidence that Make Visible the Obstetric Violence Suffered by Women in the Healthcare Setting

Abstract

At the present time, international institutions have been requesting efforts to offer quality health services and dignified treatment. However, scientific evidence reports that women in their maternal role are at greater risk of having their right to health violated, suffering some type of violence and even being discriminated against during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. The aim of the study was to investigate the scientific evidence on obstetric violence in the health care setting. Methods: The Scopus and Scielo databases were exhaustively explored, making a total of 30 scientific articles. For this purpose, the inclusion criteria were established as English, Spanish and Portuguese. All articles aimed at evaluating obstetric violence were included. Studies were excluded due to duplicity and deficiencies in the methodological quality of these documents. Results: The presence of three categories is evident: (a) dehumanization during childbirth (b) policies and regulations are not complied with in practice (c) types of violence not recognized by health professionals. It is concluded that obstetric violence is a problem that has been affecting several countries. Despite efforts to reduce this phenomenon, policies and regulations are not applied in practice, which is why the various types of violence affect not only the woman but also the newborn. Therefore, training for professionals is urgently needed to avoid any type of violence.

Received: 17 August 2023 / Accepted: 5 February 2024 / Published: 5 March 2024