Characterization of occupational therapists’ practice in palliative care in Brazil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2176-7262.rmrp.2025.222409Keywords:
Palliative care, Occupational therapy, Comprehensive health careAbstract
The expected increase in the demand for palliative care highlights the need for specialized services and trained professionals to offer such care. In palliative care, the occupational therapist’s role is to maintain the patient’s ability to perform meaningful activities, preserve physical, sensory, and cognitive functions, and contribute to symptom management through non-pharmacological strategies. This study aimed to characterize the work of occupational therapists in palliative care in Brazil. This is a survey with a descriptive design and a quantitative approach, which involved the participation of 81 occupational therapists. Most of the professionals reported working in hospitals, predominantly serving adults and the elderly with neurological and oncological clinical profiles. It was observed that the largest number of palliative care services employing therapists are located in the southeastern region of the country and that the main procedures performed with patients are focused on the occupational repertoire. It is concluded that the data obtained provide an initial overview of occupational therapy in palliative care in Brazil, and may guide strategies for the strengthening of the profession in this area of activity.
Downloads
References
1. International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care. Palliative Care Definition, n. p., 2019. Retrieved from: https://hospicecare.com/what-we-do/projects/consensus -based-definition-of-palliative-care/. Accessed on Mar. 11, 2022.
2. Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Comissão Intergestores Tripartite. Resolução nº 41, de 31 de Outubro de 2018. Dispõe sobre as diretrizes para a organização dos cuidados paliativos, à luz dos cuidados continuados integrados, no âmbito Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). Diário Oficial da União. 23 Nov 2018; sec. 1, p. 276. Retrieved from: https://www.in.gov.br/materia//asset_publisher/Kujrw 0TZC2Mb/content/id/51520746/do1-2018-11-23-resolucao-n-41-de-31-de-outubro-de-2018-51520710. Accessed on Mar. 16, 2022.
3. Sleeman KE, de Brito M, Etkind S, Nkhoma K, Guo P, Higginson IJ, et al. The escalating global burden of serious health-related suffering: projections to 2060 by world regions, age groups, and health conditions. The Lancet Global Health [Internet]. 2019 Jul;7(7):e883–92. Retrieved from: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(19)30172-X/fulltext.
4. Malta DC, Oliveira TP, Santos MAS, Andrade SSCA, Silva MMA. Avanços do Plano de Ações Estratégicas para o Enfrentamento das Doenças Crônicas não Transmissíveis no Brasil, 2011-2015. Epidemiol. Serv. Saúde [Internet]. 2016 Jun [citado 2023 Out 26]; 25(2): 373-390. Retrieved from: http://scielo.iec.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-49742016000200373&lng=pt.http://dx.doi.org/10.5123/S1679-49742016000200016.
5. Costa A, Othero M. Reabilitação em Cuidados Paliativos. Loures: Lusodidacta, 2014.
6. Mills K, Payne A. Enabling occupation at the end of life: A literature review. Palliative and Supportive Care [Internet]. 2015 Jun 15 [cited 2019 Sep 4];13(6):1755–69. Retrieved from: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals /palliative-and-supportive-care/article/enabling-occupation-at-the-end-of-life-a-literature-review/5566EF59FEFFFE47B797868E33791F7E.
7. Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Resolução nº 466, de 12 de Dezembro de 2012. Brasília, DF: Ministério da Saúde, Conselho Nacional de Saúde, 2012.
8. Santos, André Filipe Junqueira dos. Atlas dos cuidados paliativos no Brasil 2019 [e-book] / André Filipe Junqueira dos Santos, Esther Angélica Luiz Ferreira, Úrsula Bueno do Prado Guirro; organization Luciana Messa; coordination Stefhanie Piovezan. -- 1. ed. -- São Paulo: ANCP, 2020.
9. Global Atlas of Palliative Care 2nd Edition Global Atlas of Palliative Care at the End of Life Global Atlas of Palliative Care 2nd Edition [Internet]. 2014. Retrieved from: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/integrated-health-services-(ihs)/csy/palliative-care/whpca_global_atlas_p5_digital_final.pdf?sfvrsn=1b 54423a_3
10. Zilli F, Vargas MA de O. A intervenção da terapia ocupacional junto a pacientes oncológicos em cuidados paliativos: revisão integrativa. Research, Society and Development. 2022 Mar 19;11(4):e31611427386.
11. Ferreira APC, Fuly P dos SC, Nascimento JS. Intervenções terapêuticas ocupacionais para as Atividades de Vida Diária em Cuidados Paliativos oncológicos: revisão integrativa. Research, Society and Development. 2023 Jan 4;12(1):e12212139497.
12. Bombarda, TB.; Menegussi, JM. Estresse de familiares e cuidadores. In: Kastilho, RK.; Da Silva, VCS.; Pinto, CS. Manual de cuidados paliativos. 3 ed. Editora Atheneu, Rio de Janeiro, 2021, p.553-556.
13. Freitas R de, Oliveira LC de, Mendes GLQ, Lima FLT, Chaves GV. Barreiras para o encaminhamento para o cuidado paliativo exclusivo: a percepção do oncologista. Saúde debate [Internet]. 2022Jan;46(133):331–45. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-1104202213306.
14. Oliveira MC de Gelbcke FL, Rosa LM da, Vargas MA de O, Reis JBG. Cuidados paliativos: visão de enfermeiros de um hospital de ensino. Enferm foco (Brasília) [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2023 Oct 26];28–32. Retrieved from: https://pesquisa.bvsalud.org/portal/resource/pt/biblio-1028237.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Maria Caroline Volpin Gomes, Tatiana Barbieri Bombarda, Janaina Santos Nascimento
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
