Abstract

ROSSI, Sofía et al. Knowledge of health workers about the Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy Law. Salud(i)Ciencia [online]. 2023, vol.25, n.6, pp.333-339.  Epub Nov 05, 2023. ISSN 1667-8682.  http://dx.doi.org/10.21840/siic/172745.

In early 2021, the theoretical and legal framework for the termination of pregnancy was modified. From August 2021 until April 2022, a survey was conducted among 310 healthcare staff from the General Hospital for Acute Care Dr. Teodoro Álvarez (HGATA, for its acronym in Spanish) and the Health & Community Action Center No. 34 (CeSAC Nº 34, for its acronym in Spanish) to assess their knowledge of the subject and their ability to provide an adequate response to patients inquiring about the procedure. Out of the total number of people surveyed, 72.9% were women, the largest age group was 26-35 years old and the most mentioned occupation was “resident” (31.3%). According to their answers, the respondents were divided into two groups: those who were informed (8.7%, n = 27) and those who were uninformed (91.3%, n = 283). 100% of the informed group were able to provide patients with a correct response while only 82,7% of the uninformed group were able to do so. The majority of the respondents (85.5%) deemed it helpful to receive training and updates on voluntary termination of pregnancy in the near future. Most of the healthcare staff from the HGATA and from the CeSAC No. 34 are unaware of the theoretical-legal framework under which the interruption of pregnancy is regulated. The uninformed presented difficulties in providing an appropriate response. These results show the formative deficit that exists in relation to the theoretical-legal framework. This information could be useful for the identification of barriers and facilitators of access to an interruption.

Keywords : abortion; sexual and reproductive rights; health system; voluntary pregnancy interruption; training deficit.

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