Sociodemographic and training profile of nursing professionals in the state of São Paulo in relation to Integrative and Complementary Health Practices

Objective:

to analyze the sociodemographic and training profile of nursing professionals in the state of São Paulo in relation to Integrative and Complementary Practices in Health.

Method:

cross-sectional study, developed with 3,794 nursing professionals in the state of São Paulo, from 645 municipalities. To collect data, an online questionnaire was used containing sociodemographic and professional training variables. A hierarchical multiple Poisson regression model was constructed, considering training in practices as the dependent variable, with a significance level of 5%.

Results:

of the 3,794 (100%) participants, 479 (12.62%) had training in Integrative and Complementary Health Practices. The most frequent practices were auriculotherapy, Traditional Chinese Medicine/acupuncture and Reiki. The predominant training modalities were free, face-to-face and theoretical-practical courses. The variables age, no formal religion, higher education and specialization level, working hours and knowledge and previous experience on integrative practices were significant.

Conclusion:

the results indicate the need to encourage and expand the training of Integrative and Complementary Health Practices for nursing professionals, in order to strengthen their performance in health services.

Descriptors:
Nursing; Nurse’s Role; Professional Training; Job Description; Complementary Therapies; Complementary Therapeutic Methods

Highlights:

(1) 39% of Nursing professionals are unaware of ICHPs.

(2) Low proportion (14.5%) of Nursing professionals with ICHPS training.

(3) Auriculotherapy, TCIM/acupuncture and Reiki are the most frequent trainings.

(4) Free, face-to-face and theoretical-practical courses are predominant during training.

(5) There is a large discrepancy in the training hours in ICHPS.