Videoconferencing in occupational therapy in hospital contexts and palliative care

Abstract

Introduction: Communication and information technologies in the health context allow optimizing inter-institutional activities in continuing education. Objectives: To describe the activities performed by of the Special interest group on Occupational Therapy in hospital contexts and palliative care and to discuss the importance of videoconferencing in the continuing education process of Occupational Therapy students and health professionals in this field. Materials and methods: A documentary, retrospective, and descriptive study was conducted. The special interest group was created through the Telemedicine University Network, which is a high-speed network connecting university hospitals and health teaching centers in Brazil. There are 34 operating centers from 15 Brazilian states and one Chilean university registered in the group. Results: 36 videoconferences were made between August 2013 and December 2017, where relevant topics for the practice of occupational therapists in hospital contexts and palliative care were presented. Videoconferencing allows occupational therapists to access updating material on specific topics through interactive communication sessions in virtual spaces regardless of their current location, thus overcoming geographical barriers. Conclusion: Videoconferencing contributes to the updating and spreading of knowledge and professional practices among students and occupational therapists in their professional field.