O estudo das plantas medicinais e da fitoterapia nos cursos de graduação de enfermagem das instituições públicas de ensino

Abstract

Phytotherapy consists of the use of medicinal plants for the promotion, prevention, and treatment of diseases, integrating and being increasingly valued within the scope of integrative and complementary health practices (PICS). This study investigates the inclusion of phytotherapy in undergraduate nursing courses at public institutions in the Brazilian Northeast, considering its importance for the training of future health professionals in the region. This is a descriptive, exploratory study with a quantitative approach based on the analysis of the Pedagogical Course Projects (PPC) available on the official websites of the institutions offering bachelor's degrees in nursing, based on specific criteria: 1) public educational institutions; 2) located in the Northeast region of Brazil; 3) that offer a bachelor's degree course in nursing with “active” status in the e-MEC system; 4) institutions that make their Pedagogical Course Projects (PPCs) available on the web for analysis. Data collection took place in May 2025, 48 PPCs were analyzed, observing a still limited and, in most cases, superficial inclusion of the topic of phytotherapy. Only (10) 19.23% of institutions offer specific courses on the topic, while (19) 36.53% address it indirectly, generally within the context of PICS. The data reveal a gap in nursing training, significantly distancing the expectation of humane and comprehensive care from reality. The results are expected to support improvements in academic training and encourage other institutions to adopt integrative and complementary health practices in their curricula.