Breaking new grounds: incorporation of Occupational Therapy at the family health strategy in São Paulo and its performance on the health care of people with disabilities

Abstract

The article points the research results on the incorporation of the actions of Occupational Therapy (OT) in the Family Health (FH) strategy in São Paulo, at nine Basic Health Units – Zerbini Foundation/Southeast Region -Sapopemba/Vila Prudente, between 2000 and 2006. It discusses the characteristics, contributions, limitations and operating modes of Occupational Therapy in the assistance for people with disabilities in primary health care, from the qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews performed with three occupational therapists, twelve professionals with different degrees and four service users. The analysis of the reports identified seven thematic structures enabled to understand the work of OT: demand and organization of actions; characteristics and modalities of care; material and infrastructure; view of other professionals and users of OT; satisfactory and unsatisfactory points; contributions to the effective of the integrality and suggestions for the improvement of work. It was concluded that the FH is an appropriate space for attention to the health needs of people with disabilities and that the OT has possibilities of purposeful and effective actions in providing access and integrality of assistance, in prevention, health promotion and improvement of life quality. However, there are needs to expand the understanding of the potential of the profession, besides embrancing the planning activities of its services participation and predicting in the organization of the equipment infrastructure the appropriate conditions to its action.