Occupational performance and stress: application of a manual for guidance and care of high-risk pregnant women

Abstract

Gestation is a natural biological phenomenon, and it is considered of high-risk when there is increased danger for the health of the mother and fetus due to some maternal disease. The purpose of this work was to develop and implement a manual for guidance and care of high-risk pregnant women, identifying its influence on occupational performance and stress. This is a cross-sectional study whit follow-up evaluation before and after. The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PPS-10) were used. The study sample comprised 11 inpatient high-risk pregnant women. The COPM identified 2.9 points for the Performance area and 2.7 points for the Performance satisfaction area in the first evaluation, and 4 and 4.2 points, respectively, in the second evaluation after the application of the Guidance Manual. The PPS-10 indicated 21 points in the first evaluation and 17.9 points in the revaluation. In this context, it is believed that support groups for pregnant women, establishing spaces for dialogue and listening, allow the construction of alternatives for facing the difficulties resulted from hospitalization.