Canine-assisted occupational therapy: A scoping review of the Brazilian literature

Occupational therapists have practiced Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) by incorporating dogs in their interventions. The production of national knowledge about Canine-assisted Occupational Therapy was analyzed through a scoping review. This investigation sought to obtain answers about which populations have been focused on Canine-assisted Occupational Therapy in Brazil, what are the objectives and therapeutic results, how the dog acted in this process, what training is necessary for the dogs and what training is required for the occupational therapist to carry out such therapy. The research occurred in the national journals of Occupational Therapy and Scielo.br library through descriptors and inclusion criteria. No studies of occupational therapy were found with dogs as assistants, but on the care of animals composing a human occupation and an occupational role (n = 4). One study mentioned occupational therapy as one of the professions that, in the international context, perform Canine-assisted Occupational Therapy with people with disabilities and/or physical or mental sequelae, being the therapeutic objectives and results of physical or cognitive rehabilitation. The review reveals that national production is incipient, especially compared to the international literature that reports on Canine-assisted Occupational Therapy and informs about populations, therapeutic objectives and results, the training and skills needed by the therapist, and the training required for the therapy dog. The need for studies and the production of national knowledge for the theoretical basis and guidelines for the practice of Canine-assisted Occupational Therapy in Brazil is reaffirmed.