Prevalence of Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine Training, Its Different Practices, and Associated Sociodemographic Factors: A Study with Brazilian Nurses.

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the prevalence of nurses trained in traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM), the different practices, and associated sociodemographic factors. Methods: This quantitative, cross-sectional study was implemented online in Brazil from June 2021 to January 2022 among 1,154 nurses using a questionnaire comprising open- and closed-ended questions. The Stata IC software, version 16.0, was used in the statistical analysis. The dependent variable was training in TCIM, and the prevalence of different TCIM practices was also investigated. The independent variables included sociodemographic information. Descriptive and inferential statistical tests were performed. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul and was developed according to the STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) initiative. Results: The prevalence of TCIM training was 43.50%. Most participants were women (89.49%), Brazilian (99.65%), aged 39.71 on average (SD = 10.37), and had an income of up to four times the minimum wage (52.43%). The prevalence of professionals implementing TCIM in their practice among those with training was 64.60%. They reported working up to 2 h a week (36.96%) in primary health care settings (33.40%) and providing individual consultations (78.0%). After the adjusted analysis, TCIM training appeared significantly associated with age (p < 0.001), the region where the workplace is located (p < 0.001), and income (p < 0.001). Auriculotherapy (59.96%) stood out among the TCIM practices in which nurses were trained. Conclusions: Almost half of the nurses working in Brazil have training in TCIM and sociodemographic factors such as age, region of work, and income are significantly associated with this training.