Characterization of the procedures and professional practices of primary care physiotherapists in Brazil

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Melo, Alyne Araújo^{a; b} | de Toledo, Aline Martins^{a; c} | Emiliano, Lariça^b | Padula, Rosimeire Simprini^d | Carregaro, Rodrigo Luiz^{a; c; *}

Affiliations: [a] Master Program in Rehabilitation Sciences (PPGCR/UnB), Universidade de Brasília (UnB), Campus UnB Ceilândia, Brasilia, Brazil | [b] Ministry of Health, Department of Basic Care (DAB), Brasilia, Brazil | [c] School of Physical Therapy, Universidade de Brasília (UnB), Campus UnB Ceilândia, Brasilia, Brazil | [d] Physiotherapy Program, Universidade Cidade de São Paulo (UNICID), São Paulo, Brazil

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Rodrigo Luiz Carregaro, Universidade de Brasília (UnB), Campus UnB Ceilândia, Centro Metropolitano, Ceilândia Sul, Brasília – DF, 72220-275, Brazil. E-mail: rodrigocarregaro@unb.br.

Abstract: BACKGROUND:Physiotherapy interventions are well known and established in secondary and tertiary care. However, within the Brazilian primary health care (PHC), the role of physiotherapists is still under development, and there is a lack of representative data showing how and what is being implemented by these professionals. OBJECTIVE:The aim was to characterize the professional practices of physiotherapists working at PHC in Brazil. METHODS:This is an exploratory study that adopted a descriptive analysis based on the records of physiotherapists, considering assistance and sociodemographic aspects, in the period from 2016 to 2017. The following variables were extracted: region, federative unit and municipality, age group and sex of the attended user, condition/problem, procedure and place of attendance. RESULTS:A total of 318,780 procedures were recorded, concentrated in the South and southeast regions, with a predominance of clinical-assistance procedures and a higher frequency of attendance in Basic Health Units. Among the assisted users, the female gender prevailed in the age group of 20 to 59 years. Low back pain was the most frequently treated condition. CONCLUSION:The professional practices of physiotherapists working at PHC in Brazil were characterized by healthcare, clinical-assistance, preventive and health promotion activities, with emphasis on clinical-assistance practices focused on musculoskeletal conditions, especially low back pain.

Keywords: Primary health care, physical therapy, low back pain, health information systems

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-205138

Journal: Work, vol. 73, no. 2, pp. 547-557, 2022