The Brazilian Auriculotherapy Practitioners' Training Profiles, Perceptions of Efficacy, and Technique-Related Side Effects: An Exploratory Study.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the auriculotherapy practitioners' training profile, their baseline characteristics, how they perceive the auriculotherapy efficacy, and the technique's adverse effects.

Methods: A total of 193 participants answered a structured survey containing their baseline and training characteristics, along with an adapted version of the Clinical Global Impressions questionnaire, to assess the practitioners' perceptions of illness severity, symptom changes, and technique efficacy.

Results: The cohort was composed of a multidisciplinary group of middle-aged, female auriculotherapy practitioners who predominantly treated adults and older adults at their private practice using auriculotherapy ∼1-2 times per week. The training was >40 hours online formatted, considered sufficient for clinical purposes. Auriculotherapy was perceived as highly effective in treating mild and moderate symptoms, improving symptoms' severity, patients' functionality, quality of life, and treatment satisfaction, with no or very mild adverse effects.

Conclusions: Practitioners perceived auriculotherapy as effective in improving patients' symptomatology. Gender characteristics were a feature of practitioners' characteristics, along with training time, private practicing environment, and the incoherent perception/management of the mild adverse effects.