Occupational Therapy, Health, and Work - Mapping and Characterization of Professional Practices in the Municipality of São Paulo.

• Grant number: 24/14663-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Juliana de Oliveira Barros
• Grantee: Victória Colombo Gomes
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: Work is understood as fundamental for adults, determining health-disease processes andsituations of social vulnerability. Work, in addition to being a human activity included in the multiplepractices of occupational therapists, constitutes one of the specific areas of this professional's practice,which is worker health. The occupational therapist working in the field of labor interacts with diversepopulations, institutions from different social sectors (health, social security, social assistance,education), public and private employers, and public policies in the field. Objective: To understand andcharacterize the professional practices of occupational therapists who develop actions at the interfacebetween health and work in the municipality of São Paulo. Methodology: This is a qualitative, cross-sectional, exploratory-descriptive research that will use the following procedures: i) mapping of public3and third-sector services and/or institutions that carry out actions at the interface between health andwork in the municipality of São Paulo, and identifying the presence of occupational therapists in thesesettings; ii) conducting semi-structured interviews with the identified occupational therapists. Thecollected data will be analyzed using thematic content analysis and compared with national andinternational literature in the field. Expected Results: By characterizing professional practices inOccupational Therapy, Health, and Work in a large city like São Paulo, it is hoped to contribute tostrengthening Occupational Therapy in the field of Work in both the local and national context. It isalso expected to expand perspectives regarding the development of teaching-service partnerships forthe practical training of undergraduate and postgraduate students in Occupational Therapy. At the endof the process, a seminar will be held to present the findings to participating professionals, and at leastone scientific article will be submitted/published in a well-indexed journal.