National guidelines of care for amputees’ health: current challenges and prospects

Abstract

Abstract Estimates from 2022 showed that in the last 5 years, more than 102,000 amputation surgeries were performed by the Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS (Unified Health System, Brazil). An amputation requires adequate rehabilitation process with support network, allowing autonomy and social inclusion. The aim of this paper is to present and discuss the Brazilian Guidelines on Amputee Health Care and other Brazilian public health policies that dialogue with their recommendations. Eight documents were identified that narrow dialogue with the Guidelines: National Health Policy for People with Disabilities, National Health Plan 2012-2015, Guidelines for the Care of People with Chronic Diseases in Health Care Networks and Priority Lines of Care, National Plan for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - Living Without Limits, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, National Health Policy for the Elderly. Brazil has been discussing the need to implement legal mechanisms to ensure full citizenship of people with disabilities. Among the documents presented, the following guidelines were observed in common with the Amputee Health Care Guidelines: providing support and specialized services within the SUS, the need for training of the multidisciplinary team, supply of assistive technology equipment, prevention of injuries and promoting the inclusion of the amputated person. The main challenges and current perspectives involve the articulation of the various levels of health care for this population, and training of the team for comprehensive care for the full rehabilitation of these individuals.