File
C. Ferreira1, N. Oliveira2, E. Souza3, L. Dias4, A. Ferroli-Fabricio5, R. Gallo6, A.C. Fernades7, A.L. Lunardi8, C. Oliveira9, S. Baracho10, A. Alves11, L. Barbosa12, L. Santana13, C. Suaid14, L. Mascarenhas15
1Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, 2Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil, 3Faculdade de Ciência Médicas de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 4Hospital Universitário Cassiano Antonio de Moraes, Vitória, Brazil, 5Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil, 6Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil, 7Universidade de São Paulo, Health Science Department at Ribeirão Preto Medical School, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, 8Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, Brazil, 9Universidade Santa Cecília, Santos, Brazil, 10Núcleo Bem Nascer, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 11Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil, 12Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil, 13Universidade Tiradentes, Aracaju, Brazil, 14Universidade de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, 15Universidade do Estado do Pará, Belém, Brazil
Background: Physiotherapy in obstetrics has impressively expanded its role in the last decades being able to contribute to women´s quality of life during pregnancy, labor and the postpartum period. During labor most of the recommended nonpharmacological resources are physiotherapy interventions. Although the high levels of evidence in this field the access of women during this period of life to physiotherapy is limited in maternity hospitals in Brazil.
Purpose: To present the strategies adopted by the Brazilian Association of Physiotherapy in Women´s Health (ABRAFISM) to expand the role of the physiotherapists in obstetrics, especially in the maternity hospitals.
Methods: In July 9 th the ABRAFISM created a work committee including members from different states. The committee was divided into three working groups: 1- publicity campaign for the lay community and stakeholders about the role of the physiotherapists in obstetrics 2- compilation of scientific evidence, production of guidelines, agenda for scientific research in the area, visibility of the physiotherapists in the interdisciplinary obstetrics conferences 3- political actions with stakeholders (maternity hospital managers, city halls, physiotherapy boards, health ministry).
Results: The ABRAFISM launched, on the first of September, 2019, the Campaign “For more Physiotherapists in the Maternity Hospitals” as a result of the task force of this committee. The work group 1 produced videos and a series of posts advertising the campaign and mobilizing members working in maternity hospitals to record videos with testimonials disseminating to role of the physiotherapists to the lay community on social networks (Website, Instagram and Facebook). The members of the committee intensively participated of interviews, lives with physiotherapy boards, managers, Universities and academic leagues. The second working group produced: guidance documents about the role of the physiotherapists in the maternity hospitals, an e-book of the campaign for more physiotherapists in the maternity hospitals and a guide for physiotherapy care in obstetrics in times of COVID-19. Members of the committee disseminated the actions of the committee in important interdisciplinary conferences. The third working group met stakeholders, physiotherapy boards, obstetrics medical associations, mapped maternities across the country and sent letters to managers publicizing the importance of the physiotherapist´s work. The suggestion of a bill to guarantee women´s access to physiotherapy
was forwarded to the federal physiotherapy board and to all regional physiotherapy boards, and in several places in the country are being processed, having already been approved in two instances in the capital of Minas Gerais State.
was forwarded to the federal physiotherapy board and to all regional physiotherapy boards, and in several places in the country are being processed, having already been approved in two instances in the capital of Minas Gerais State.
Conclusion(s): The strategies adopted by the ABRAFISM to create a committee and three working groups resulted in an extensive and successful campaign disseminating the importance of physiotherapy in obstetrics, mobilizing physiotherapy members, physiotherapy federal and regional boards, stakeholders, the lay community, other health care professionals and politicians.
Implications: It has been reported an expansion of job vacancies for physiotherapists in maternity hospitals in view of the strategies undertaken by the ABRAFISM to disseminate the importance of their work in obstetrics and the prospect of passing laws that guarantee women´s access to physiotherapy in obstetrics in the whole country.
Funding, acknowledgements: This work was funded by Brazilian Association of Physiotherapy in Women's Health (ABRAFISM).
Keywords: physiotherapy, women´s health, obstetrician
Topic: Professional issues
Did this work require ethics approval? No
Institution: Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo
Committee: Health Science Center
Reason: This work is a information compilation about strategies adopted by Brazilian Association of Women's Health Physiotherapy
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
