title: [Professional competence and contraceptive care].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the technical competence of professionals carrying out activities related to contraceptive care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Evaluative research in the field of health was conducted in eight districts of the State of Ceara from July to September 2003. Data was collected by means of interviews with 29 nurses working in the Family Health Care Program within these districts and 50 people being attended by this program. Observations of the Family Health Care Units were a complementary source of data within this study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of nurses had received some form of training regarding contraception and the technical norms regulating their use. However, professional barriers were reported by the nurses and others were identified by lay persons being attended by the program, that indicate the need to provide better training for professionals engaged in this area of care. The nurses recognized they had deficits in information and communication skills as well as technical deficits in dealing with contraception.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are gaps in professional competence with regard to contraceptive care that, when associated to the lack of systematization of team work, generates distortions in the quality of care. Team work was characterized by the lack of definition of team members' specific attributions and tasks.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Enfermagem, Faculdade de Farmácia, Odontologia e Enfermagem, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil. escolpaz@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Escolástica Rejane Ferreira
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Moura
authors.forename: Raimunda Magalhães da
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001938:Brazil; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003267:Contraception / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D005193:Family Planning Services / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations