The use of aromatherapy in Basic Health Units in the city of São Paulo

Abstract

Integrative and Complementary Health Practices (PICS) were incorporated into the Unified Health System (SUS) in 2006 by the National Policy of Integrative and Complementary Practices (PNPIC), making Brazil a world reference. The growth of these practices in the SUS was boosted after 2002, with rules that regulated and expanded access to PICS, ensuring their effectiveness and safety through scientific studies. In 2017 and 2018, new practices were added to the SUS table, totaling 29 modalities, focusing on Primary Health Care. Among them, aromatherapy stands out, in which essential oils are used. Each UBS has a group of PICS that is offered to the public, in addition to these practices being also offered in specialized centers. This study aimed to identify which UBS in the city of São Paulo offer aromatherapy and analyze the frequency of use of these practices in these units. The research had an exploratory-descriptive approach, of a quali-quantitative nature, with a bibliographic and documentary survey on the use of aromatherapy in the Basic Health Units (UBS) of the city of São Paulo. The search terms included keywords such as "aromatherapy in SUS", "PICS", "UBS", "essential oils", among others, and Boolean operators were used to obtain more accurate results, excluding duplicate articles or that did not address the proposed theme. It was concluded that, among the 108 places that offer aromatherapy, 86 are UBS and more than 28,000 visits were carried out in 2023 and 2024. As for PICS, currently 469 units in the city of São Paulo offer the practices.