Quality of prenatal care in Brazil: review of published papers from 2005 to 2015

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the quality of prenatal care in Brazil from 2005 to 2015, regarding both access and appropriateness of care. This is a review conducted from recommendations proposed by the PRISMA protocol. The search extracted studies from databases: SciELO, LILACS and MEDLINE. Following the application of three filters based on pre-established criteria, 12 studies were selected for final analysis. The analysis showed cross-sectional studies, published nationally and internationally, focused on the evaluation of prenatal care in the cities and state from three major regions of Brazil and one nationwide. The findings show elevated prenatal care coverage over the past decade in almost all the country in spite of the quality which has been evaluated with low adequacy rates, ranging from 4.5% to 66.1% in several regions of the country, for reasons identified as non-realization of the ideal number of consultations and early assistance, and mainly lack of promotion of quantitative and qualitative contents set for such consultation. Variations are found in the adequacy of prenatal care, especially when compared to the application of different quality indicators. It is concluded that the evaluation studies are valuable tools to support future research seeking new actions in health care for pregnant women.