Introduction:

The cesarean section rates worldwide, and especially in Brazil, have exceeded the levels recommended by the World Health Organization, therefore constituting a public health problem. The main causes of this scenario lie in the guidance and support provided by the health professional, especially the doctor. Thus, the training of medical students can impact their profile as a professional. The objective of this study was to evaluate the profile and knowledge of medical students at a public university regarding the different methods of childbirth.

Method:

This is a quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study that was developed at a public university in the south of Minas Gerais, involving 165 second, third, fourth and fifth year medical students. For the data collection a semi-structured questionnaire containing 57 questions was applied, following approval by the Research Ethics Committee. The data were tabulated and evaluated by frequency and expressed as numerical percentages.

Results:

It was found that 89.09% of the students correctly indicated the mode of delivery in the case of low-risk pregnant women without complications, whereas only 25.45% and 18.18% got the mode of delivery right for diabetic pregnant women and those with pre-eclampsia, respectively. It was also found that 75.15% of the students considered that the use of more technology during childbirth is beneficial for both mother and baby, and 77.58% of would not recommend a cesarean section for reasons of convenience.

Conclusions:

It can be concluded that there are discrepancies in relation to the answers obtained in the study. It is important that further research is carried out to assess weaknesses in the curriculum with a view to training medical professionals in line with the changing obstetric scenario in Brazil.

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