TERAPIAS COMPLEMENTARES EM PORTUGAL: CONHECIMENTOS E PERCEPÇÕES DE ADULTOS EM TEMPOS DE COVID-19

Year 2022, Volume: 7 Issue: Special Issue, 15 - 16, 31.10.2022

Rute F. Meneses Marıa Crıstına Mıyazakı Anna Rıta Gıovagnolı

https://doi.org/10.25279/sak.1135146

Abstract

Introduction: The attention and interest from social media, health professionals, government agencies and the general public, and the use of services in the context of Complementary and/or Alternative Medicine (CAM) has been growing, with more hospitals, health systems and insurance companies providing this kind of services, and more scientific publications and training on the subject. Objective: To identify adults’ knowledge and perceptions on CAM. Method: After obtaining the necessary authorizations, between 1/10-27/11/2021, a total of 104 adults living in Portugal answered to a Google Forms questionnaire on health (self-)care practices. Results: Regarding the extent to which the participants had knowledge of non-conventional health (self-)care practices (NCHsCP), most (41.7%) knew little about it and 10.7% had no knowledge. The majority (54.9%): had already looked for information about NCHsCP, was interested in having (more) knowledge about it (75.7%), and had someone close to them who had already used and/or was using some non-conventional practice (56.3%). Only 13.7% had done training in some non-conventional practice and 4.9% considered it impossible to reconcile conventional and non-conventional health (self-)care practices. The majority (63.1%) stated that knowledge about non-conventional practices is important to them as a (future) health professional (it did not apply to 29.1%). Conclusions: These preliminary results suggest that, specially in times of COVID-19, it is crucial to develop interventions to raise awareness of health care professionals and the general public regarding the specificities, potentialities and dangers of NCHsCP.

Keywords

Terapias Complementares, Cuidados de Saúde, Autocuidado, Conhecimentos, Atitutes e Práticas em Saúde

CAM IN PORTUGAL: ADULTS KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTIONS IN TIMES OF COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction: The attention and interest from social media, health professionals, government agencies and the general public, and the use of services in the context of Complementary and/or Alternative Medicine (CAM) has been growing, with more hospitals, health systems and insurance companies providing this kind of services, and more scientific publications and training on the subject. Objective: To identify adults’ knowledge and perceptions on CAM. Method: After obtaining the necessary authorizations, between 1/10-27/11/2021, a total of 104 adults living in Portugal answered to a Google Forms questionnaire on health (self-)care practices. Results: Regarding the extent to which the participants had knowledge of non-conventional health (self-)care practices (NCHsCP), most (41.7%) knew little about it and 10.7% had no knowledge. The majority (54.9%): had already looked for information about NCHsCP, was interested in having (more) knowledge about it (75.7%), and had someone close to them who had already used and/or was using some non-conventional practice (56.3%). Only 13.7% had done training in some non-conventional practice and 4.9% considered it impossible to reconcile conventional and non-conventional health (self-)care practices. The majority (63.1%) stated that knowledge about non-conventional practices is important to them as a (future) health professional (it did not apply to 29.1%). Conclusions: These preliminary results suggest that, specially in times of COVID-19, it is crucial to develop interventions to raise awareness of health care professionals and the general public regarding the specificities, potentialities and dangers of NCHsCP.

Keywords

Complementary Therapies, Health Care, Self-Care, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice

References

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