Potential changes in health practices: the perception of workers of a Rehabilitation Network in (trans)formation

Abstract

The health of disabled people reached a priority in the Brazilian government's agenda resulting in the formulation of specific policies for these users in the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). The creation of a care network for disabled people and the use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) are among the regulations recently published. This qualitative study examined a proposal for coordinated training between the Federal University of Minas Gerais and the Municipal Secretariat of Health, designed to assist the reorientation of Belo Horizonte's Rehabilitation Network based on the ICF model. The study aimed at understanding the perception of health professionals regarding their experiences in SUS scenarios in the light of the knowledge acquired about ICF, as a change in potential of the daily working practices and the construction of the Health Network. For such results, we used document analysis, non-participant observation and focus groups. Content analysis allowed identifying two main themes: harmony between work and professional development and power of the bio psychosocial model for the organization of rehabilitation. The results revealed a gap between academic professional development and the reality of work and, at the same time, a process of transformation in the way important constructs for the reorientation of rehabilitation are conceived, such as functionality, context and the relation between them. The current health care model still meets with non-conformities to the full coordination of care, however, motivation, knowledge of public policies and changes in the professional development of SUS can favor communication between agents and services, thus fostering networking.