O Cuidado farmacêutico na fitoterapia: um estudo qualitativo

Abstract

Introduction: Phytotherapy is a globally widespread and increasingly used practice (12). In the Brazilian sociocultural context, approximately 82% of the population uses medicinal plantbased products as part of their healthcare practices (3). However, healthcare professionals still do not feel adequately prepared to work in this field (2,4). Pharmaceutical Care proposes a theoretical and methodological framework for optimizing pharmacotherapy that should be applied to all products used for health prevention or treatment purposes, including herbal medicines (1). This practice consists of three components: 1) Philosophy: guides the professional’s behavior; 2) Care process: standardized activities involving patient assessment, development of a care plan, and patient followup; and 3) Management system: addresses all resources required to provide the service to patients, such as physical space and payment (1). Objective: This article aims to reflect on the application of the theoretical and methodological framework of Pharmaceutical Care to phytotherapy. Methods: From the critical perspective of Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed (5), 13 collaborative interviews were conducted with pharmacists and pharmacy students selected through critical case sampling. Data were submitted to thematic analysis using NVivo 14 software. Findings were triangulated with data obtained through immersion in the researched community and autoethnographic writing. Results and Conclusion: Data were organized into three categories related to the components of Pharmaceutical Care practice. 1) Philosophy – “My responsibility toward the patient is to meet their pharmacotherapeutic needs, and this includes phytotherapy”: the social need for optimization of phytopharmacotherapy was highlighted, as well as the relevance of Pharmaceutical Care professionals in meeting this demand, given that it is a holistic and patientcentered practice. 2) Care process – “If the patient wants to use a tea, they can, as long as I monitor whether it is indicated, effective, and safe”: it was discussed that the clinical reasoning adopted for the evaluation of phytopharmacotherapy is the same used for assessing conventional medication use, being an integral part of the care process recommended by the profession. 3) Management – “There is a lack of information for the implementation and management of this service practice in phytotherapy”: some barriers to the implementation and provision of Pharmaceutical Care services in phytotherapy were identified. This study reinforced the need for and benefits of using the theoretical and methodological framework of Pharmaceutical Care to optimize phytopharmacotherapy, while also highlighting challenges that must be overcome.