[Profile and process of the care provided to high-risk newborns in southern Brazil]

To describe newborns at risk and check the process of care provided by the High Risk Newborn Surveillance Program in Maringá-PR.

Data were collected from medical records and monitoring sheets of a stratified sample consisting of 505 newborns at risk, born in 2007. Maternal and neonatal care were analyzed descriptively using Statistica 7.1 software.

The program only considered biological risks as inclusion criteria, whether they appeared alone (63.2%) or associated (36.8%). Regarding mothers, 71.5% were adults, 78.2% had > 8 years of schooling, 57.2% were single parents, 55.3% had an unpaid occupation, 69.5% had > 6 prenatal visits, 87.3% had a single baby, and 65.4% had a C-section. Regarding newborns at risk, 51% were male, 50.3% had low birth weight, 51.5% were full term, 95.8% without congenital anomalies, and 90.3% with 5th minute scores > 7. Regarding care provided to children at risk, 69.5% were accompanied by the Program, 71% of the medical records were located, for 82.6% there were no home visits, 8.9% received > 12 medical consultations, 33.1% had not received any guidance, 5.8% were hospitalized, 18.7% were weighed > 12 times, and 19.8% presented full immunization records.

It is necessary to reorganize primary care to ensure integral care and for ongoing monitoring of the bio-psychosocial development and growth of children at risk.