Auriculotherapy in primary health care: A large-scale educational experience in Brazil
Limited EvidenceIn Plain Language
Auriculotherapy consists of physical stimuli applied to the outer ear and is commonly associated with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The authors present and discuss the development of a course that offers a semi-on-site auriculotherapy course for Brazilian primary health care (PHC) professionals. The course was funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Health and developed at the Federal University of Santa Catarina in 2015 by a team of experts in auriculotherapy. It consisted of 75 h of distance learning (five sequential modules) and 5 h of on-site learning. The modules included the following items: (1) introduction to integrative practices; (2) ear reflexology; (3) introduction to TCM; (4) biomedical view of auriculotherapy; and (5) auriculotherapy in PHC. The teaching material included a workbook for each module, 14 video lectures and an interactive ear (online resource) to study location and application to the main auricular points. The on-site lectures follow a structured script of ear palpation techniques, auricular seed insertion practice and clinical case discussions, under the supervision of trained instructors. The course was offered in 2016 and 2017 and on-site lectures took place in 25 cities, covering all Brazilian regions, in coordination with municipal or state boards of health. A total of 4273 health professionals concluded the training and their evaluation of the course was highly positive. The Brazilian experience of large-scale training shows the potential to disseminate auriculotherapy in the context of PHC, given that its practice is fast, easy to learn, safe, effective for different health problems and well accepted by the patients.
Key Findings: what this observational study found
- ✓The Brazilian Ministry of Health funded and supported the development of a comprehensive auriculotherapy training course for primary health care professionals at the Federal University of Santa Catarina in 2015.
- ✓The course combined 75 hours of distance learning across five sequential modules with 5 hours of on-site learning, covering topics from integrative practices and ear reflexology to traditional Chinese medicine and biomedical perspectives on auriculotherapy.
- ✓The educational program utilized multiple teaching methods including workbooks, 14 video lectures, and an interactive online ear resource to help primary health care professionals learn auricular point locations and clinical applications.
What This Means for You
While this shows auriculotherapy training can reach many healthcare workers, the positive evaluation is based on participant satisfaction rather than evidence that the treatment actually improves patient health outcomes.
What This Means for Practitioners
This large-scale Brazilian program demonstrates a successful model for structuring and delivering auriculotherapy education to primary care practitioners, combining distance learning with supervised in-person practice.
Study Design: how this observational study was run
Common questions about this study
What does this study mean in practice?
While this shows auriculotherapy training can reach many healthcare workers, the positive evaluation is based on participant satisfaction rather than evidence that the treatment actually improves patient health outcomes.
What did this study find?
The Brazilian Ministry of Health funded and supported the development of a comprehensive auriculotherapy training course for primary health care professionals at the Federal University of Santa Catarina in 2015. The course combined 75 hours of distance learning across five sequential modules with 5 hours of on-site learning, covering topics from integrative practices and ear reflexology to traditional Chinese medicine and biomedical perspectives on auriculotherapy. The educational program utilized multiple teaching methods including workbooks, 14 video lectures, and an interactive online ear resource to help primary health care professionals learn auricular point locations and clinical applications.
How strong is this evidence?
This is a observational study and we rate its evidence limited. It covers 4,273 participants. It was published in Journal of integrative medicine. This study is indexed here for context; it did not test reflexology itself.
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