Situational diagnosis of Integrative and Complementary Practices in Primary Health Care of Maranhão

Abstract

This research presents the situational diagnosis of the Integrative and Complementary Practices (PIC) in Primary Health Care) of Maranhão State. We performed an ecological, descriptive study with primary data from the 217 municipalities of the state, through a form sent to all municipal health secretaries, from April to July 2019. The response rate was 100%, identifying that 25.4% of the municipalities offer PIC. Phytotherapy and massage therapy are the most offered PIC, being present in 49.1% and 29.1% of the municipalities. Physical therapists are the professionals who perform the most PIC (54.5% of the municipalities). The Family Health Strategy (ESF), 49.1% and the Extended Family Health Center (NASF), 47.3%, are the programs responsible for offering practices in the municipalities studied. Regarding the management, organization and specific legislation applied to PIC, it was observed that no municipality in the State has specific legislation for practices and 14.5% of the municipalities foresees some specific organizational structure for managing PIC. The offer of these practices in Maranhão is still a challenge, even with the guidelines of the World Health Organization and the establishment of the National Policy of Integrative and Complementary Practices in SUS.