Terapia ocupacional e atuação em contextos de vulnerabilidade social: distinções e proximidades entre a área social e o campo de atenção básica em saúde

In the scenario of the Brazilian social reality urban centers are characterized by high socioeconomic inequality, this fact makes social/health professionals of many areas, including occupational therapists, take part in social vulnerability contexts. Thus, the objective of this study was to approach and identify interventions in social occupational therapy and primary health care in order to verify the proximities and distinctions between the actions, \udwhen performed in social vulnerability contexts. This research was carried out in São Carlos, state of São Paulo, based on semi-structured interviews with all occupational therapists working in the selected areas: six therapists \udworking in the social field and five from the primary health care area. We have also observed in situ the activities of occupational therapists in the social and primary health care areas. Based on the observation of the occupational therapists’ practices and on the thematic analysis of their speech, we found a significant difference between the objectives and resources used, even when performed in the same territory of social vulnerability. It was possible to conclude that there are clear specificities in each field, and that it is necessary to identify the differences and objectives of each intervention. The understanding of the practices performed allows us to approach the identity of the professionals and their major viable contributions to different sectors