Perceptions of people with osteogenesis imperfecta about the interventions of the occupational therapy and its possibilities of care

Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disorder that compromises the collagen formation, which alters in a significant way the body structures causing osseous deformities. Faced with the different possibilities of care for people with OI, stand out the occupational therapy interventions, that even being poorly explored in the context of the national scientific production, show significant practices to compose a team of care for people with OI. Thus, this study aims to identifying the perceptions of people with OI about work of the occupational therapist. It was done a qualitative study based on the application of semi-structured interviews with five adults with OI. Interview data were analyzed by the technique of analysis of thematic content, allowing to cluster the results into three categories: “Knowing the participants: characterization of the sample”; “Living with osteogenesis imperfecta: possibilities and constructions”; and “Occupational therapy and osteogenesis imperfecta: perceptions, fragments, and experiences”. The results lead to the conclusion that these professionals have a wide range of practices that still have to be better explored and points out an encouragement for more scientific production in the area

Community of Practice in Occupational Therapy in the Unified Social Assistance System: articulating meetings and promoting debates in social occupational therapy

With the growing number of occupational therapists working in the Unified Social Assistance System (SUAS), in Brazil, the need for education processes increases, focusing on professional performance critical development in this field. Based on this education demand, a project was created in October 2020: “Communities of Practice in Occupational Therapy at SUAS: professional and strategy articulation”, with the aim of promoting exchanges of knowledge and experiences between occupational therapists, workers in social assistance units. The objective of this article is to present the possibilities and limits of work at SUAS, from the point of view of occupational therapists who work there and who were participants in the Community of Practice, analyzing whether and how their professional actions have been related to the social occupational therapy theoretical-methodological foundation. For this, all the recording material produced in the two project cycles, effective from October 2020 to July 2021, was revisited. The information extracted was organized in a table that grouped the themes found. Data analysis revealed two main aspects that allow the correlation of the professionals’ actions with the social occupational therapy theoretical-methodological foundation, namely: the necessary reading about the inseparability between micro and macrosocial factors for the development of work and the professional and political dimensions of the occupational-therapeutic actions. In both debates, the social occupational therapy theoretical-methodological foundation was and has been the guiding thread of the process, enabling a social reading and greater appropriation of technicalprofessional purposes within the scope of social assistance

Occupational therapy and Unified Social Assistance System (SUAS)

Social assistance was established as a field that sought to avoid disruption of the social fabric, thus preserving the contradictory capitalist logic, in addition to outlining a history marked by welfarism, philanthropy and volunteerism as main guidelines, in a long process until its recognition as a right. In Brazil, the paths towards the composition of social assistance as a public policy of State intervention culminated in the recent organization of the Unified Social Assistance System (SUAS) in 2005. During its implementation, which occurred by means of Resolution no. 17, 2011, of the National Council on Social Assistance, the possibility of insertion of occupational therapists as part of the team and management of SUAS was made official, and such professionals were recognized. In view of the recent officialization of this category and the absence of nationally compiled data on professional insertion and practice in the sector, this study aimed to identify, describe and analyze the characteristics of professional insertion and the practices developed by occupational therapists in the social assistance units that compose the SUAS network. To this end, the methodological procedures were organized in two stages: one associated with a survey of the number of professionals working in the SUAS and another focused on the description and analysis of their insertion and practices, with the latter structured in three parts, as follows: 1) Online questionnaires – after completion of Stage I, when 1323 occupational therapists linked to social assistance were identified in 2016, professionals were contacted by telephone and invited to participate in the study by responding to the online questionnaire, and 242 forms were obtained; 2) Interviews – ten of these respondents were interviewed, and the interviews were recorded and transcribed; 3) Visits – four 5-day visits were made to social assistance units to observe the practices of occupational therapists, which were recorded in field diaries. Results from the different stages provided a set of information on the professionals regarding their insertion (region of the country, social assistance unit, employment bond, function, workload, schooling, and professional training) and developed practices (objectives of the interventions, types of assistance/follow-up, resources and activities used, among others). Association of these data with those made available by the Brazilian Ministry of Social Development in 2017 revealed that occupational therapists working in social assistance are predominantly female (n=93%), practice in the Southeast region (n=60%), in outpatient clinics (n=53%), with official employment bond (n=50%), and a 30-hour weekly workload (n=30%). As for qualitative data, these professionals develop various interventions, according to the particularities of the different units, namely, reception, workshops, individual and family follow-ups, home visits, and intersectoral network articulation. It was identified that such practices occur according in/with everyday lives, and are aimed at expanding the social support networks of users at the primary and secondary levels, paving ways to contribute to social protection. In conclusion, occupational therapists are linked to the SUAS as practitioners within the social assistance policy, and contribute to meeting to the demands of the sector and the needs of the population, in order to foster promotion of social protection.Não recebi financiamentoA assistência social foi constituída na busca para evitar rupturas no tecido social, preservando a contraditória lógica capitalista, delineando uma história marcada pelo assistencialismo, filantropia e voluntarismo como orientações principais, em um longo processo até o seu reconhecimento como direito. Os caminhos do Brasil em relação à composição da assistência social como área pública de intervenção estatal culminaram com a recente organização do Sistema Único de Assistência Social (SUAS), em 2005. Durante a sua implementação, por meio da Resolução no. 17 de 2011, do Conselho Nacional de Assistência Social, oficializou-se a possibilidade de inserção do terapeuta ocupacional como parte da equipe e da gestão, realizando o reconhecimento de tais profissionais ali inseridos. Tendo em vista a recente formalização da categoria e a ausência de dados compilados nacionalmente sobre o ingresso profissional e atuação no setor, objetivou-se, por meio deste estudo, identificar, descrever e analisar as características da inserção profissional e as práticas desenvolvidas por terapeutas ocupacionais em unidades socioassistenciais que compõem a rede SUAS. Para tanto, organizou-se os procedimentos metodológicos em duas etapas: uma relacionada ao levantamento do número dos profissionais atuantes no SUAS e outra voltada à descrição e análise de sua inserção e práticas, com a segunda estruturada em três partes, a saber: 1) Questionários online – após a realização da Etapa I, quando foram identificados 1.323 terapeutas ocupacionais com vínculo na assistência social em 2016, houve o contato através de ligações telefônicas, com o intuito de fazer o convite a participar do estudo, respondendo ao questionário online. Obteve-se 242 preenchimentos. 2) Entrevistas – foram entrevistados dez dos colaboradores respondentes e as entrevistas foram gravadas e transcritas. 3) Visitas – foram feitas quatro visitas em unidades socioassistenciais (durante cinco dias em cada local), para observação das práticas de terapeutas ocupacionais, registrando-as em diários de campo. Os resultados oriundos das diferentes etapas forneceram o conjunto de informações acerca dos profissionais em relação à sua inserção (região do país, unidade, vínculo, função, carga horária, escolaridade e formação profissional) e práticas desenvolvidas (objetivos das intervenções, tipos de atendimentos/acompanhamentos, recursos e atividades utilizados, entre outros). Associando os dados àqueles disponibilizados pelo Ministério do Desenvolvimento Social em 2017, constatou-se que os terapeutas ocupacionais na assistência social são predominantemente do gênero feminino (n=93%), estão na região Sudeste (n=60%), atuam em Centros Dia (n=53%), com vínculo empregatício celetista (n=50%) e com carga horária de trabalho de 30 horas/semana (n=30%). Sobre as informações de caráter qualitativo, observou-se que desenvolvem intervenções variadas, respeitando as particularidades das diferentes unidades, tais como: acolhimentos, grupos/oficinas, acompanhamentos individuais, familiares, visitas domiciliares e articulação em rede intersetorial. Identificou-se que tais atuações ocorrem no/com os cotidianos, voltadas à ampliação das redes sociais de suporte dos usuários, nos níveis primário e secundário, tecendo caminhos para contribuir com a proteção social. Assim, conclui-se que os terapeutas ocupacionais se inserem no SUAS como trabalhadores da política de assistência social e contribuem para responder às demandas do setor e às necessidades da população, no sentido de favorecer a promoção da proteção social