Postnatal care of newborns in the family context: an integrative review

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the postnatal care practices of newborns in the family context from the scientific literature. Methods: the searches of the integrative literature review were carried out in the Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS), Nursing Database (BDENF), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), and U.S. National Library of Medicine (PubMed) databases. Results: sixteen studies composed the final sample and, from these, two analytical categories emerged: Practices and doubts of families in postnatal care of newborns; and Best practices in postnatal care of newborns. Final considerations: several cultural practices of families differ from scientific recommendations, which can generate risks to the health of newborns. Therefore, it is essential to consolidate educational programs with family members, to improve the quality of care offered and to reduce preventable neonatal deaths in different socio-family contexts.