Experience report in Health Education for pregnant women in the COVID-19 pandemic: use of virtual technologies to promote autonomy and disease prevention

Abstract

Introduction: Health education for pregnant women is one of the main ways to guarantee comprehensive and person-centered care. However, in the midst of a viral pandemic scenario, face-to-face and collective spaces aimed at exchanging experiences and linking information between pregnant women and health professionals in the primary health care network were suspended for being considered a health risk. The objective was to report the experiences lived through socio-educational work in order to encourage self-care and promote access to information about the reproductive and sexual rights of women during pregnancy. Report: The activity was divided into two periods for the organization and application of the activity, the first to select themes, train members, produce material, establish partnerships, enable means of dissemination with Community Health Agents, present the proposal to pregnant women for the adhesion to the project and creation of the group with a previous presentation interaction. The second period was contemplated for the execution of the programmed actions through videos and teaching materials via the WhatsApp platform, in addition to the creation of a space for women to clear up their doubts and express their anxieties. Finally, as a form of impact assessment, a personalized and thematic questionnaire for pregnant women was applied, with the inclusion of qualitative aspects of the absorbed knowledge and evaluations of the lived experience. Discussion: Factors related to the importance of health education, access to health services, the context of COVID-19 and pregnancy and the preservation of rights, as promoters of health and autonomy. Conclusion: The project proved to be effective in strengthening a support network in the midst of the pandemic, with the creation of links between the participants and coordinators, which fostered the initiative of sharing knowledge in health promotion and prevention in the period. pregnancy.