Physical therapy in primary health care: an integrative review

• Autor(a) principal: Fonseca, Juliany Marques Abreu da
• Data de Publicação: 2016
• Outros Autores: Rodrigues, Malvina Thais Pacheco, Mascarenhas, Márcio Dênis Medeiros, Lima, Luisa Helena de Oliveira
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por; eng
• Título da fonte: Revista Brasileira em Promoção da Saúde
• Texto Completo: https://ojs.unifor.br/RBPS/article/view/4593
• topic: Physical Therapy Specialty; Primary Health Care; Public Health.; Fisioterapia; Atención Primaria de Salud; Salud Pública.; Fisioterapia; Atenção Primária à Saúde; Saúde Pública.

Objective: To analyze physical therapy activities carried out in primary health care. Method: Integrative literature review carried out in SciELO, LILACS and MEDLINE databases using the descriptors physiotherapy, physical therapy and primary health care in May and June 2015. We searched for articles on the physical therapist’s work in primary care fully available in English, Portuguese or Spanish regardless of the year of publication. The articles were selected and analyzed based on the following variables: activities developed, main results and the difficulties faced. Results: Seven articles were analyzed. Activities focused on individual and collective care, both at the preventive and rehabilitation levels, of different populations and showed satisfactory results with a positive impact on health and reduced individual and collective costs. However, they face challenges such as the insufficient number of professionals, lack of resources and infrastructure, teamwork problems, and the need for changes in vocational training. Conclusion: The activities, despite being incipient and facing obstacles, present good results. This finding demonstrates the importance of physical therapy in primary health care and contributes to the dissemination and effective performance of the professional at this level of care.