Health education in the care of oncological patients with the use of auriculotherapy in pain management

Abstract

Objective: To verify the effect of auriculotherapy in the treatment of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: Twelve patients at stage II, III or IV were treated, undergoing chemotherapy and presenting pain complaints from VAS-3. Information on general status was collected, if the patient met the pre-included criteria, he was invited to participate in the study. To analyze the effect of auriculotherapy on pain management, use the paired t-test for ​​ (VAS) variables before and after completion. Results: After the analysis, a statistically decreased difference in pain intensity and analgesic consumption by registered participants was verified. When asked about the use of analgesics before classes, 41.67% reported using them. After the choices, when asked the same question, 16.67% reported using it. Conclusion: Therefore, auriculotherapy is a promising complementary health therapy for pain management and reduction of analgesic consumption by cancer patients, however, new studies based on randomized and controlled clinical trials with larger and homogeneous ones should be carried out in order to evidence the improvement of this therapeutic practice.