How do primary health care professionals deal with pregnant women who are victims of domestic violence?

OBJECTIVES: to determine how Family Health Strategy professionals recognize and deal with domestic violence in pregnant women. METHOD: qualitative study based on the Theory of Praxis Intervention in Collective Health Nursing (TIPESC). Fourteen professionals at a Basic Health Unit in the east side of Sao Paulo/Brazil were interviewed. Empirical data were categorized and discussed in thematic groups. For data analysis was used the technique of Discourse Analysis. RESULTS: we identified low number of reported cases of domestic violence; lack of education and training of health care professionals; failure in the identification and intervention process due to bias on their personal problems, moral attitudes and prejudice against these women. In addition, the study showed that their labor process was based entirely on the biological aspects of the women and to overcome this, they need of proper rapport between health care professionals and pregnant women to deal with of domestic violence. CONCLUSION: professionals should develop skills to intervene in violence against pregnant women and also modify labor processes considering women in their totality and part of society.