What Competencies Does a Community Occupational Therapist Need in Neurorehabilitation? Qualitative Perspectives

Abstract

More than three million people in Chile suffer from neurological conditions, and many of these become permanent users of health services with a community approach. In this way, disciplinary competencies in this area are relevant. We seek to characterize the competencies for community occupational therapy intervention in neurorehabilitation. Using a qualitative approach, interviews were conducted with eighteen professionals and were analyzed using content analysis. The main results are associated with the competencies of knowledge associated with theoretical biomedical and community elements. Skills range from health evaluation and intervention on micro- and macrosocial levels. Attitude is also an important skill, stemming from personal and relational spheres. These findings suggest that interventions are essentially on a personal and microsocial level, focusing first on pathology and treatment, and later comprehending the interactions with a patient’s close social environment, such as family, schoolmates, and workmates and their physical environment at home, school, and the workplace. Although the final objective of community intervention is present in the discourse as being able to generate structural changes that favor well-being and social inclusion, concrete competencies are not appreciated on a macrosocial level.