Perception of managers about the practice and insertion of occupational therapists in basic health care

Introduction: Occupational therapy is a health profession that has interfaces in education and in the social field, whose actions aim at the participation of individuals in everyday occupations that promote the construction of their identity, health and well-being. Accordingly, the occupational therapist is able to act in several health care spots, among them the Primary Health Care. In this sense, it is important that managers know the professionals, their particularities and the role they play in each health staff and facility. The recognition and appreciation of the roles developed in the scope of Primary Health Care by these actors facilitates the development of appropriate actions for each collective in its cultural specifieities. Objective: To describe the perception of the health managers of the Primary Health Care about the practice and insertion of the occupational therapy. Method: This is a qualitative exploratory descriptive research that was carried out in the Municipal Health Department and in the five Health Districts distributed in the territory of JoAo Pessoa-PB, with managers linked to Primary Health Care from June to August 2018. A semistructured interview was used by the researchers and the data were analyzed using the Content Analysis technique. Results: 18 managers, of both sexes, participated in the study. It is noticed that the managers understand that the occupational therapy is directed to the daily activities of the subjects, for the adaptation of utensils, but they confuse it with physiotherapy. Regarding hiring, they mention that it is done through selection of curriculum and interview, there being influence of political indications. Conclusion: Thus, discussions on occupational therapy should be broadened to reach management spaces in order to broaden the recognition and insertion of the profession in Primary Health Care level, aiming at a more universal, equitable and integral service that responds to the users' needs.