This naturalistic study was realized through observation and aimed to characterize general staff meetings held at a day hospital regarding theme and the professionals' participation in the use of time. We observed 21 meetings, during which 144 announcements were made and 46 issues were discussed, with greater participation in discussions by fixed team members. In 18 of these meetings, the discussed themes corresponded to daily situations registered during the weeks preceding the meetings. Our findings reveal that these meetings are inserted in the service on a regular basis. Power relations and differences in experience and technical knowledge between the different professionals seem to contribute to the higher or lower number of announcements and issues presented. As this space favors exchanges, we suggest these meetings to be used in other health services working with assistance teams.
patient care team; day care; psychiatry; mental health
