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Copyright of Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Os hospitais psiquiátricos têm sido freqüentemente denunciados como espaços ineficazes e são apontados como um dos principais responsáveis pela cronificação dos doentes mentais. Faltam, porém, estudos que verifiquem a influência destes asilos sobre as comunidades que os abrigam e sobre os serviços extra-hospitalares próximos a eles, podendo ser sua presença mais um fator gerador de demanda psiquiátrica. Esta pesquisa pretende verificar a associação entre a existência destes hospitais em dadas comunidades e o aumento de internações e de demanda aos serviços de atenção primária em saúde. Para tanto, procuramos verificar se a existência destes hospitais poderia estar modificando o perfil da clientela atendida, comparando a demanda que procurava os serviços extramanicomiais em cidades semelhantes que tivessem e que não tivessem hospitais psiquiátricos. Foram encontradas algumas evidências de que, nas cidades com hospitais, houve um aumento expressivo não somente das internações, mas também do número de consultas em saúde mental.

Interventions in work environments, processes, and situations encompass the prevention of diseases and accidents and workers' health promotion. Historically, these actions were originally the responsibility of the Ministry of Labor, being extended to the Ministry of Health, and later to the Ministry of Labor. The aim of this study was to understand and give visibility to the work of the actors working in the different sectors and institutions involved in health and safety at work in the municipality of São Paulo and gain an insight into the barriers to intersectorality and the consequences of the lack of intersectoral collaboration for this area. Work reflection groups were created between 2017 and 2019 with professionals working in the abovementioned ministries and in the Labor Prosecution Office. The data were produced and analyzed drawing on the theoretical bases of the psychodynamics of work. Despite having intrinsically linked objectives, these three bodies in São Paulo continue to encounter difficulties in consolidating intersectorality as envisioned in occupational health and safety policies. Despite sporadic partnerships, merging specific actions, recognizing and mutually respecting each other's expertise, avoiding overlaps, and building joint, cooperative, and collaborative practices remain challenges.

Objective: In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought a work and stress overload to healthcare workers, increasing their vulnerability to mental health impairments. In response, the authors created the COMVC-19 program. The program offered preventive actions and mental health treatment for the 22,000 workers of The Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (HCFMUSP). This paper aims to describe its implementation and share what we have learned from this experience., Methods: Workers were able to easily access the program through a 24/7 hotline. Additionally, a mobile phone app that screened for signs and symptoms of emotional distress and offered psychoeducation and/or referral to treatment was made available. Data from both these sources as well as any subsequent psychiatric evaluations were collected., Results: The first 20 weeks of our project revealed that most participants were female, and part of the nursing staff working directly with COVID-19 patients. The most frequently reported symptoms were: anxiety, depression and sleep disturbances. The most common diagnoses were Adjustment, Anxiety, and Mood disorders., Conclusions: Implementing a mental health program in a multimodal intervention was feasible in a major quaternary public hospital. Our data also suggests that preventive actions should primarily be aimed at anxiety and depression symptoms, with a particular focus on the nursing staff.

Objective: To characterize and quantify the seating and positioning items in wheelchairs prescribed and dispensed from 2005-2018 in relation to the necessities of the diagnoses served., Methods: A convenience cross-sectional sample survey was used in the setting of an occupational therapy service from a specialized orthopaedic hospital. Records of people with disabilities who use a wheelchair ( n  = 1730) were surveyed for the following data: sociodemographic information (gender and age), diagnosis, whether a new wheelchair was received, whether wheelchair seating and positioning system were received, and the prescribed items., Results: Of the 1730 users, 73.7% received a new wheelchair and 26.3% already had one donated by other services and/or purchased by the patient. Almost all the wheelchairs needed seating and positioning system in their structure (82.3%), and only 307 wheelchairs (17.7%) did not require any. The most frequent item was the hip belt (82.3%), followed by the removable solid wooden seat, and removable solid wooden backrest (81.3 and 80.9%, respectively)., Conclusions: It is noted that the sample studied required many seating and positioning items for their wheelchairs. Despite the high demand for these assistive technological resources, research in this area is scarce. Little is known about which seating and positioning system is ideal for each user profile, which makes it difficult to organize the services that act in the provision of such equipment and the professional practice based on evidence.Implications for RehabilitationSeating and positioning system in wheelchair provide the user with the postural control necessary for daily activities, the maintenance of independence, and interaction with the environment.Indicating the best seating and positioning system is one of the most challenging tasks for healthcare professionals specializing in its prescription because it can be difficult to assess which components best meet the needs of an individual.The research proposed by this study has produced important evidences for the clinical practice of professionals that act on the prescription of wheelchairs and seating and positioning items for people with disabilities, presenting data that contribute to a better indication of these equipment's.

Background: The problem of illnesses, sick leave and the necessary return to work and permanence at work has been determining the development of different protocols and professional rehabilitation programs in different countries., Objective: We sought to identify articles that address programs for professional rehabilitation and the return to work of people laid off due to mental health problems, and to verify the results of professional rehabilitation programs and the follow-up processes for such return., Method: A systematic review was performed according to the criteria of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes (PRISMA). The serial search of the articles was carried out in the electronic databases: Web of Science, MEDLINE/PubMed and Scopus. The variations in the descriptors served to find a greater range of significant results for the research., Results: In total, 2,306 articles were found. Another two articles that met the inclusion criteria were located through manual searches, adding up to a total of 2,308. Applying the exclusion criteria resulted in a final data set of 47 peer-reviewed articles., Conclusions: The issues involving return to work and permanence in work were complex and multifaceted in the research articles studied. Recovery from Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) is a major cause of long-term sick leave and the granting of disability benefits. Many people with these diagnoses remain employed; however, further studies are needed with women, workers with fragile relationships, and immigrants.

Background: Work is a determinant of employee health, and the same conditions that contribute to an illness do not favour return to work; consequently, they hinder job retention, other employees can become ill and new leaves are generated., Objective: To analyse the nursing technicians work in intensive and semi-intensive care units (ICUs and SICUs) and discuss the influence of organisational and relational factors on return to work and job retention. This study also discusses the contributions of activity ergonomics to these processes., Method: Qualitative case study based on ergonomic work analysis (EWA). Data were collected using documentary analyses, and global, systematic, and participant observations involving nursing technicians working in ICUs and SICUs., Results: Task planning and the staff size adjustment to respond to the work demands of these units were ineffective in real-world situations and were aggravated by cases of absenteeism, medical leave, and employees returning to work., Conclusions: Work structure limits return to work and job retention. An EWA based on the activities developed by professionals is a valid tool for understanding working processes by applying transforming actions to real-world work situations.

The construction of Workers' Health (WH) intersectoriality, while fundamental, has been a challenge for this field of knowledge and practice. This paper aims to present and discuss how intersectorality is addressed in WH public policies, in what contexts it is used, how it is defined, and the guidelines for its implementation. This is qualitative documentary research that analyzed documents enacted between 1986 and 2015, accessed through the databases of the Ministries of Health, Labor and Social Security, and the websites of FUNDACENTRO and the National Association of Occupational Medicine (ANAMT). There is clear leadership of the health sector in the documents proposing the construction of intersectoriality. Terms such as "integrated actions", "articulation", "dialogue", and "integration", and finally, "intersectoriality" were used sometimes as synonyms or conceptual advances, and generic, polysemic, and supposedly consensual expressions. Despite the developing concept of intersectoriality in the policies of this field and the growing participation of the different sectors in this construction, few clear propositions about the effectiveness of this practice among managers and workers underlying the field are observed.

Introduction: The death of a spouse greatly affects the survivor's emotions and may change one's everyday occupations, especially during recent bereavement. Considering the centrality of everyday occupations to occupational therapy practice, this research aimed to understand women's restoration-oriented everyday occupations within the first six months after the death of their spouse., Methods: This was a qualitative thematic analysis that applied a realistic method and a theoretical approach at the semantic level. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand the everyday occupations of widows after their husbands' deaths, emphasising those that were restoration-oriented, according to the dual process model of coping with bereavement framework. The analysis was conducted according to the phases expected to be conducted during a thematic analysis., Results: Fourteen widows with long-term marital relationships participated in this research. Their perceptions concerning their relationships with their spouses were an important aspect that influenced their everyday occupations. Women who qualitatively described their marital relationships in terms of attributes grouped by the researcher as lost and lonely also mentioned difficulty managing previously habitual occupations and changes in the meanings assigned to some of those occupations. These women mobilised unique strategies to address suffering and occupational changes during bereavement. Women who qualitatively described their relationships with attributes grouped by the researcher as free at last felt freedom after their husbands' deaths, which, according to the widows, brought happiness and feelings of peace and enabled them to engage in freely chosen occupations and to broaden their social networks., Conclusion: Everyday occupations and their meanings can considerably change during widowhood. This study contributes to comprehending the uniqueness of responses to loss., (© 2019 Occupational Therapy Australia.)

Background: Spastic paraplegia, optic atrophy and neuropathy (Spoan syndrome) is an autosomal recessive disease with approximately 70 cases recorded in Brazil and Egypt., Methods: This is a prospective longitudinal study performed with 47 patients affected with Spoan syndrome of seven communities of Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil) to investigate changes in motor function based on comparative data obtained from a 10-year follow-up., Results: The mean age of the participants was 47.21 ± 12.42 years old, and the mean age at loss of ambulation and hand function were 10.78 ± 5.55 and 33.58 ± 17.47 years old, respectively. Spearman's correlation analysis between the score on the Modified Barthel Index and the investigated variables evidenced statistical significance for age (p < 0.001) and right- and left-hand grip strength (p = 0.042 and p = 0.021, respectively). Statistical significance was not evidenced for the remainder of the variables, including age at onset of symptoms (p = 0.634), age at loss of ambulation (p = 0.664) and age at loss of hand function (p = 0.118)., Conclusions: Our analysis allows asserting that the participants exhibited slight dependence until age 35. The greatest losses occurred from ages 35 to 41, and starting at 50, practically all patients become completely dependent. These findings are relevant for determining the prognosis as well as suitable treatment, rehabilitation and assistive technology for these individuals.

This article presents a systematic review, for which research was carried out in the following electronic databases: Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and ERIC, in which several articles were found ( n = 560). The results were analyzed based on the information obtained in the titles and abstracts, and the remaining studies were read in full for the analysis. The aim of this article was to identify the different questionnaires used for selecting items of assistive technology, describe and evaluate the translation and transcultural adaptation procedures, characterize the thematic domains of each resource, evaluate the cultural adaptation process adopted, and describe the psychometric properties. Data extraction and evaluation of the methodological quality of the eligible studies were performed in accordance with the COSMIN verification list with a checklist of 4 points. The publication of systematic review studies and others that synthesize research results is fundamental to provide support for change in the behavior of professionals in the field of health, and not only to access the available literature but also to incorporate this information into daily clinical practice. The results of this review could provide subsidies that would enable the planning, execution, identification, and choice of specific instruments for a determined study within the context of assistive technology, with a view to helping researchers and health professionals in clinical and investigatory practices.

This study aimed to identify and analyze the relations between aging and work. This was a case study in the maintenance engineering division of a high-complexity hospital in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. In September and October 2015, 16 semi-structured interviews were held with the division heads and other workers with a minimum age of 50 years. The data were analyzed with thematic content analysis. Although the workers experienced difficulties resulting from the aging process, these did not prevent them from performing their work activities, since they developed strategies through their knowhow to compensate for their functional losses and/or declines. Still, they felt limited and demotivated due to the poor working conditions, outsourcing of the division, and the prevailing workload organization. Thus, in this division, the working conditions and organization had more impact than the aging process on the individuals' daily work routine.

The aim of Family Health Support Centers (NASFs) is to expand and qualify primary health care initiatives. Working together with Family Health Teams (EqSFs) they use matrix support strategies. This paper discusses how NASF professionals develop their work, emphasizing how matrix support approaches are appropriated and incorporated into daily working practices. The results that are presented are based on a case study of the work process of NASFs in a region of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. In order to investigate this issue, specific questions were introduced at different stages of the ergonomic work analysis. The implementation of the NASF, without a review of the guidance documents provided by the EqSF, created the following paradoxes: the different requirements of productivity and the working strategies between the NASF and the EqSF; the different demands of care for the population and different priorities for action, which were reflected in the division of tasks and the time allocated to each of them, etc. The practices that have been accumulated since the creation of the NASF suggests a review of these documents in order to transform the organization of planned work of these organizations in order to create better conditions for shared working practices.

Objective: To understand the job function of caregivers of older adults and contribute to the debate on the consolidation of this professional practice., Methodological Procedures: This is a descriptive, qualitative, and exploratory study. Four focal group sessions were performed in 2011 with 11 elderly companions, formal caregivers of older adults in the Programa Acompanhante de Idosos (Program for Caregivers of Older Adults), Sao Paulo, SP, Southeastern Brazil. These sessions, guided by a semi-structured script, were audio-recorded and fully transcribed. Data were analyzed using the Content Analysis technique, Thematic Modality., Results: In view of considering the caregivers of older adults as a new category of workers, it was difficult to define their duties. The elderly companions themselves as well as the care receivers, their families, and the professionals that comprised the team were unclear about their duties. The professional practice of these formal caregivers has been built on the basis of constant discussions and negotiations among them and other team members in Programa Acompanhante de Idosos during daily work. This was achieved via a recognition process of their job functions and by setting apart other workers' exclusive responsibilities., Conclusions: The delimitation of specific job functions for elderly companions is currently one of the greatest challenges faced by these workers to develop and consolidate their professional role as well as improve Programa Acompanhante de Idosos.

Objective: To understand the organization of and the working conditions in family health care support centers, as well as subjective experiences related to work in two of these centers., Methods: This was a case study carried out during 2011 and 2012 in two family health care support centers in Sao Paulo, Southeastern Brazil. Data were collected and analyzed using two theoretical-methodological references from ergonomics and work psychodynamics influenced, respectively, by ergonomic work analysis, developed based on open observations of a variety of tasks and on interviews and in practice in work psychodynamics, carried out using think tanks about the work., Results: The work of the Family Health Care Support Centers in question is constituted on the bases of complex, diversified actions to be shared among the various professionals and teams involved. Innovative technological tools, which are not often adopted by primary health care professionals, are used and the parameters and productivity measures do not encompass the specificity and the complexity of the work performed. These situations require constant organizational rearrangement, especially between the Family Health Care Support Centers and the Family Health Care Teams, causing difficulties in carrying out the work as well as in constituting the identity of the professionals studied., Conclusions: The study attempts to lend greater visibility to the work processes at the Family Health Care Support Centers in order to contribute to advances in public policy on primary healthcare. It is important to stress that introducing changes at work, which affect both its organization and work conditions, is above all a commitment, which to be effective, must be permanent and must involve the different levels of hierarchy.

Background: Emergency room (ER) work includes dealing with situations of conflict and aggression. The diversity and unpredictability of these situations and the lack of pre-established procedures to guide workers in dealing with these phenomena affect and weaken their physical and mental health., Objective: The purpose of the article is to learn about conflict and aggression at work and its impact on the workers in a hospital emergency room., Method: The method is a transversal, exploratory, descriptive and observational study, carried out from September to November 2008, using direct observation procedures and interviews., Participants: Two hundred and eighty emergency room workers participated in the observations and eleven interviews were carried out with workers from several professional categories., Results: The work process is marked by overload, individualization of responsibilities, time pressures and deadlines for making decision, little space for exchange and sharing, lack of support or guidance. The strong pressure to provide care quickly causes conflict and aggression among users and the different professional teams. These situations arise from problems in work organization and users in excess of the ER service capacity., Conclusion: The article recommends changes in the work process that can simultaneously improve both the quality of care for patients and provide protective measures for workers.

Objective: To describe forms of external and indirect violence that affect the mental health of workers of the Programa Saúde da Família (Family Health Program), as well as the strategies developed by these workers to enable their work and to be psychologically protected., Methods: Qualitative study on the Programa Saúde da Família work process, performed in the cities of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto and Embu (Southeastern Brazil) in 2005. Theoretical approach of psychodynamics of work, which proposes the formation of reflection groups with workers, was employed. Subjective aspects of work, situations of psychological suffering and strategies used by workers to deal with suffering and continue to work were sought to be identified., Results: The Program's work organization exposed workers to the following: situations of violence, invisible at times; feeling of impotence in the face of precarious situations; lack of acknowledgement of efforts made; lack of borders between professional and personal aspects; intense experiences of social and domestic violence; fear of risk of exposure; feeling of moral and physical integrity being threatened; and fear of reprisal. Situations of psychological suffering resulting from violence in the workplace were observed. These became more intense in the Programa Saúde da Família due to regular contact with situations of violence that cause fear and a feeling of vulnerability., Conclusions: Psychological repercussions caused by violence in the workplace, not always expressed in the form of psychological disorders, were observed in situations of intense suffering. Workers develop strategies to minimize suffering, protect themselves psychologically and continue to work; and seek to create solidarity and protection networks with the population, aiming to reduce vulnerability. With the experience gained, they learn to detect high-risk situations, avoiding those they believe to be threatening.

Objective: To analyze work organization in psychosocial healthcare services from the logic of the service management field., Methods: Organizational analysis was performed, using a case study in a psychosocial healthcare service located in the city of São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, between 2006 and 2007. A total of five sources of information were analyzed: Ministério da Saúde (Brazilian Ministry of Health) documents, research reports made in the service studied, service records, interviews with healthcare workers and managers and simple observation. Interviews dealt with objectives, results and assessment of work process. Each source was treated differently, according to its purpose. A subsequent dialogue about the results obtained aimed to make a set of observations on which the case study was founded., Results: The service proposes to deliver a very intangible result, which views the user in their social context. The intended change in the user's conditions was described as 'the person living better'. Such condition is difficult to be defined and understood in terms of the details and limits of this change, thus hindering measurement of results. In addition, the work process involves activities which are not routinary, not predictable and sometimes simultaneous, so that the team finds it difficult to recognize and legitimize efforts made to perform work, a fact described as 'work invisibility' by workers., Conclusions: The assessment process was found to be a complex aspect of this intangibility, associated with inadequacy and insufficiency of the municipal health system's management structure to include a service of this nature. Results enabled better understanding of a field of work where workers' and users' subjectivity is inherent in the service management process.

Psychiatric hospitals have been accused of being both ineffective institutions and the main parties responsible for the chronic status of the mentally ill. However, there is a lack of research on the influence of mental health care facilities on either the communities in which they are located or the nearby out-patient services. Their presence may be a cause for increased psychiatric demand. This study investigates a possible association between the existence of such hospitals in given communities and an increase in hospitalization and demand for primary care services. The author compares the demand and client profile of out-patient services in similar communities, both with and without psychiatric hospitals Some evidence was found that in communities with such hospitals there is an increase in both hospital admittance and consultations in mental health care.