Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in primary healthcare in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil: user perception

Abstract

This is a partial analysis of the outcome of a survey looking at user perception of the institutional use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in Florianópolis healthcare centers. Structured interviews were applied to users treated with CAM in the locations offering this option most often, using data-based theory as a theoretical-methodological reference. For the most part, the use of CAM was proposed by basic health professionals (the operators of biomedical care), initially as a preferred alternative to biomedicine. Interviewees preferred CAM, associating it to fewer side-effects. Users mentioned enhanced dialog with professionals to negotiate treatment forms. The hypothesis emerged that CAM could be the initial treatment option in a large number of cases, saving conventional treatment for subsequent use if necessary, or in some cases as the single or complementary treatment. This enables drafting an expanded flow using CAMs in primary healthcare. New studies and institutional experience are required to investigate this hypothesis, expanding the use of CAM in an ecology of institutional care.

Integrative medicine; Complementary therapies; Primary healthcare