Medical and salutogenic approaches and their integration in taking prenatal and postnatal care of Czech women.

OBJECTIVE To compile a proposal of the system of taking complex prenatal, perinatal and postnatal care of pregnant women and their children in the Czech Republic with taking into account medical and salutogenic approaches. MATERIAL AND METHODS A questionnaire was prepared comprising questions for mothers and making it possible to exactly use specified data from their healthcare documentation. The method thus consisted of a secondary data analysis and subsequent contact with mothers. This was implemented in the form a qualitative and narrative interview. The study included 541 women from five Czech regions. RESULTS In this group, there was a high level of the preventive care with persisting preference of prenatal consulting rooms conducted by physicians. Most deliveries occurred in institutions in the presence of physicians. In the groups evaluated, there were, however, no significant differences. In spite of this, the evaluation of delivering women indicated that there is a high level of the perinatal care in terms of the medical approach. However, the salutogenic care calls for increasing the active participation of midwives in the prenatal, perinatal and postnatal care and extension and intensification of activities particularly in the psychosocial area. CONCLUSION In the group monitored, there were no significant correlations of determined perinatal interventions with the method and result of the delivery and condition of the mother and newborn. It is to mention that the medical perinatal care is at a high level.