Alternative Therapies as a Solution for the Care of Chronic Health Problems

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic health problems are considered multidimensional diseases; therefore, they demand, from the nursing staff, a comprehensive and holistic care. One option to provide holistic and autonomous care is alternative and complementary therapies.
Objective: To systematize alternative therapies as a solution for the care of chronic health problems.
Methods: A systematic review of documents published from 2005 to 2020 in Spanish and English was developed, with a clear methodology and theoretical references selected during 2020. The question was elaborated through the PICO strategy. In Spanish, the following keywords, identified in the DeCS, as well as Boolean operators were used: "atención de enfermería" AND "terapias complementarias" AND "enfermedades crónicas". In English, the corresponding keywords found in the MeHS were taken into account: "Complementary therapies" AND "Nursing care" AND "Chronic disease". The search was carried out in the Pubmed, Clinical Key, SciELO, Dialnet, Index and Google Scholar databases. The PRISMA flow diagram (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses) was used to contribute to the formulation of the search strategy. The methods of documental analysis, synthesis and systematization permitted to organize and interpret the knowledge present in the theoretical references found.
Conclusions: Alternative therapies, as a solution to health problems, are a tool that can be used by the nursing staff, in order to increase the range of care provided to people with chronic health problems.