Objective: To identify the factors that influence the improvement of obstetric nurse care in the delivery process.
Methods: Descriptive exploratory study with a qualitative approach conducted at a teaching maternity hospital located in the city of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil with 20 obstetric nurses from the Obstetric Center. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews between June and September 2017 and was then subjected to the Thematic-Categorical Content Analysis proposed by Franco.
Results: Six categories emerged from the analysis, which presented factors that favor the improvement of obstetric care in the delivery process and factors unfavorable to this care. These factors address power and gender relations among health professionals; recognition of obstetric nurses; physical space and bed occupation; interaction between woman/ companion, among others.
Final considerations: The factors indicated by obstetric nurses reveal the need for improvements in the working conditions by managers and changes of behavior and codes of conduct of health professionals.