NURSING CARE IN LOW-RISK PRENATAL CARE: HEALTH EDUCATION AS A STRATEGY FOR PREVENTING MATERNAL-FETAL ADVERSE OUTCOMES

Abstract

The present study addresses the nurse’s role in routine-risk prenatal care, emphasi-zing health education as a strategy for the prevention of maternal and fetal complica-tions. Prenatal care is an important health promotion action, contributing to the early identification of gestational complications, reduction of maternal and neonatal morbi-dity and mortality, and strengthening of comprehensive care for pregnant women. In this context, nurses play a fundamental role in monitoring women during pregnancy, developing care, educational, and preventive actions that promote self-care and ad-herence to health recommendations. The objective of this study was to analyze the nurse’s role in routine-risk prenatal care, highlighting the contribution of health educa-tion to the prevention of maternal and fetal complications. This is an integrative litera-ture review conducted through searches in Google Scholar, the Virtual Health Library (VHL), and documents from the Ministry of Health, using descriptors related to prena-tal care, obstetric nursing, and health education. Studies published between 2020 and 2026, available in full text and in Portuguese, were included. The results showed that educational actions promoted by nurses contribute to increasing pregnant wo-men’s knowledge about pregnancy, strengthening female autonomy, facilitating the early recognition of risk signs, and encouraging healthy habits. Furthermore, welco-ming practices, qualified listening, and the bond established during nursing consulta-tions positively influence the quality of care provided. It is concluded that health edu-cation represents an essential tool for promoting maternal and fetal health and impro-ving the quality of care provided in routine-risk prenatal care.