O uso de plantas medicinais e fitoterápicos durante o tratamento antineoplásico: compreendendo a experiência do paciente.

Abstract

Cancer is one of the main public health problems worldwide. Cancer patients have a complex profile, with individualized therapies, and among the available treatments, chemotherapy is the most frequent treatment choice. Several aspects related to the disease and treatment with antineoplastic drugs can lead cancer patients to seek alternative forms of treatment, such as phytotherapy, often without the knowledge of the professionals responsible. This qualitative study aims to understand the subjective experience of patients who use medicinal plants and understand the reasons that led them to use this resource during outpatient chemotherapy treatment. The methodology used is the Phenomenology of Practice proposed by Max Van Manen and seeks to obtain an in-depth understanding of the meanings attributed to people's everyday experiences. The selected participants brought reports that motivated the use of herbal medicines, within and outside the context of oncology, as well as aspects that make us reflect on the challenges related to this practice. Participants who experience or have experienced the issue in focus were selected and in-depth interviews were carried out guided by guiding questions. Understanding the experience of patients who use herbal medicines and medicinal plants in this context can help health professionals explore these products as a therapeutic resource and provides support for more appropriate intervention and monitoring, enabling the prevention of various complications. In this sense, understanding the meaning that the patient attributes to this experience and how it is capable of affecting conventional treatment is essential to guarantee holistic care for this patient, and to guarantee the optimization of pharmacotherapy and the achievement of therapeutic objectives.