Colombia's maternal–perinatal care route (Res. 3280 de 2018) from the nursing side
- Law
Res. 3280 de 2018 sets the care every woman and newborn must receive from planning a pregnancy to the first week after birth, and the nurse's part in it.
What it is
Annex III of Resolución 3280 de 2018 is the Ruta Integral de Atención en Salud Materno Perinatal. It is mandatory for EPS, territorial entities and providers. It covers women who intend to become pregnant within a year, pregnant women, women in labour and after birth, their families or care network, and the newborn up to seven days of life. Its individual care is preconception care, prenatal care, oral health, nutrition, voluntary termination of pregnancy (IVE), the course for motherhood and fatherhood, birth, the puerperium and newborn care and follow-up. Nursing shares the low-risk preconception and prenatal visits with medicine and leads the preparation course.
Key articles
- Art. 1: adopts the technical and operational guidelines of the health promotion and maintenance route and of the maternal–perinatal route, set out in annexes that are mandatory.
- Art. 2: applies to territorial entities, EPS, entities obliged to compensate, health providers and the exception and special regimes.
- Art. 3: care is adapted to urban, highly rural and dispersed areas and to population groups; adaptation may not become a barrier, and no prior authorisation is required.
- Art. 4 (modified by art. 1 of Res. 276 de 2019): the interventions are due from entry into force; a listed group, including preconception care and nutrition promotion in pregnancy, is phased in within three years from 1 January 2020.
- Art. 5: those obliged guarantee enough suitable staff with the profile set in the guidelines.
- Art. 7: in force six months after publication; it repealed Res. 412 de 2000, 769 de 2008 and 1973 de 2008.
What it covers
- Preconception care: for women who plan a pregnancy within a year; done by medicine or nursing when there are no risk factors.
- Before enrolment in prenatal care the woman is told of her right to voluntary termination under ruling C-355 de 2006.
- Prenatal care, oral health, nutrition, the preparation course, birth, the puerperium, obstetric emergencies (haemorrhage, hypertensive disorders, sepsis), and newborn care and follow-up.
- Collective interventions: health information and education, and family and community networks such as community transport for obstetric emergencies, maternal homes and traditional midwives.
In nursing practice
- Providers may not send a pregnant woman away for arriving late. A late first visit includes every pending activity and lasts at least 40 minutes.
- Ask about language or access barriers; arrange a maternal home (hogar de paso) or an intercultural interpreter when needed.
- Record the contraceptive method the woman chose in the record and the perinatal card, so it starts before discharge after birth.
- Report any abnormal test result at once, in a documented way, to the EAPB so it contacts the woman and brings her back to care.
- A positive answer to the violence questions sends the woman to the care route for people at risk of or victims of violence.
Status and official text
- Official text checked on 2026-11-13 at minsalud.gov.co (PDF of Res. 3280 de 2018 and of Res. 276 de 2019).
- Modified by Res. 276 de 2019: it rewrote art. 4 and, in Annex III, changed numerals 4.7 (birth care: birth plan and written warning signs), 6.2.2 (highly rural and dispersed areas), 4.9.4.2 (fetal lung maturation in hypertensive crisis and eclampsia) and 7.2.2 (the HIV indicator).
- The Res. 276 PDF on minsalud.gov.co is a scanned image; its articles were read in an official legal compilation. No other modifying norm was found in this check; confirm in the Ministry's regulations before use.
- Related norms named in the resolution: Res. 429 de 2016 (Comprehensive Health Care Policy) and Res. 3202 de 2016 (methodological manual of the RIAS).
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Who may do the low-risk prenatal visits in Colombia's maternal–perinatal route?
A professional in medicine or nursing. The visits of weeks 36, 38 and 40 are done by a physician.
What must the nurse do when she finds a risk factor during a prenatal visit?
Refer the woman at once for medical assessment and record the reason; the institution guarantees continuity of care.
How many sessions does the preparation course for motherhood and fatherhood have, and who leads it?
At least 7 sessions of 60 to 90 minutes, led by nursing within an interdisciplinary team.
Which resolution modified article 4 of Res. 3280 de 2018?
Resolución 276 de 2019, which set a three-year progressive implementation for a listed group of interventions from 1 January 2020.
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Connections
Educational content for students; it does not replace your institution's protocols, supervised clinical training or a prescriber's order. Dose-calculation examples use made-up numbers: they are educational, not a clinical order.
Sources: Resolución 3280 de 2018: lineamientos técnicos y operativos de la Ruta de Promoción y Mantenimiento de la Salud y de la Ruta Materno Perinatal (Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social de Colombia, 2018); Resolución 276 de 2019, por la cual se modifica la Resolución 3280 de 2018 (Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social de Colombia, 2019).
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