Prevalence of COVID-19 Complications during a Program of Homeopathic Camphora Officinalis Distribution to City Populations of Santa Catarina, Brazil: An Ecological Study.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, was declared a pandemic in March 2020, posing significant challenges globally. Homeopathy has historical relevance in epidemic management. In response, the government of the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, distributed Camphora 1M as a potential prophylactic intervention for COVID-19. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the possible effects of Camphora 1M as an adjunctive prophylactic measure in managing COVID-19, focusing on mortality and hospitalization rates, during the period April 28 to July 31, 2020, within designated COVID-19 in-patient units in Santa Catarina. METHODS: An ecological study design was applied to this epidemiological research. Five case municipalities (Itajaí, Atalanta, Entre Rios, Rio do Campo, Trombudo Central) were compared with five control municipalities (São José, Galvão, Pedras Grandes, Grão-Pará, Ascurra). RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were observed in predictor variables between municipalities that received Camphora 1M and the respective controls. Similarly, no statistically significant differences were observed in outcomes: deaths (p = 0.879), hospitalized cases (p = 0.537), daily ward admissions (p = 0.730) and ICU admissions (p = 0.072). CONCLUSION: For the first wave of the pandemic in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, city-wide distribution of Camphora 1M was not associated with reduced numbers, severity or mortality among the population hospitalized in designated public hospitals for COVID-19.

Percepções dos usuários da clínica pública ou privada sobre a homeopatia e acesso aos medicamentos homeopáticos / Perception of public and private clinics users about homeopathy and access to the homeopathic medicines

Esta dissertação teve como objetivo principal analisar as percepções de usuários sobre a clínica homeopática no município de Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, bem como levantar os medicamentos homeopáticos aviados em Farmácias Homeopáticas dos municípios de Florianópolis e de Itajaí, Santa Catarina. Trata-se de uma pesquisa exploratória e descritiva, com abordagens qualitativa e quantitativa, que, inicialmente, foi desenvolvida junto a quatro farmácias homeopáticas instaladas em Florianópolis e uma em Itajaí, e, num segundo momento, junto a 23 usuários de homeopatia, de clínica pública e privada, de Florianópolis. Os resultados apontam que os medicamentos policrestos são os mais prescritos tanto nas receitas aviadas no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) como nas advindas da clínica privada, reforçando a importância de manter esse grupo de medicamentos em estoque na Farmácia. A forma farmacêutica gotas, em doses repetidas foram as mais prescritas assim como a quantidade de 30 e 50 em volume ou massa nos dois municípios. Porém quando se analisa apenas receitas SUS, Florianópolis avia mais formulações complexas. Este estudo ressalta a importância da acessibilidade e do acesso ao medicamento homeopático no município de Florianópolis. Na percepção dos usuários, a maioria mulheres, idade média de 45,4 anos, se diferenciando apenas no grau de escolaridade, não houve diferenças entre os atendimentos da clínica pública ou privada. Os pacientes se sentiram acolhidos e confiantes com os prescritores, pois buscavam a clínica principalmente por desencanto com a alopatia e por um tratamento integral, bem como consideraram o medicamento eficaz.(AU)

This dissertation has as main objective - to analyze the perception of user about the homeopathic clinic in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, as well as find out which are the dispensed homeopathic medicines in Homeopathical Pharmacies in Florianópolis and Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brazil. This is an exploratory and descriptive research, with quantitative and qualitative approaches, that, at first, was developed with four Homeopathically pharmacies installed in Florianópolis and in Itajaí, and, in a second moment, with 23 homeopathy users of public and private clinics of Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The outcomes point out that the polychrests drugs are the most prescribed in the dispensed SUS prescription and also in the private prescription, reinforcing the need of keeping this medicine group stored on the pharmacy. The pharmaceutical form drops, in repeated doses were the most prescribed as it was the quantity of 30 and 50 in volume or mass in both towns, but when it is evaluate only SUS prescriptions, Florianópolis dispenses more complex formulations. In the users perceptions, most women, with average age group of 45,4 years, only different in education degree. There were no difference between the public and private clinics treatment, all the patients felt welcomed and confident with prescribers, that is, because they seek the clinic, mainly for dissatisfaction with allopathic medicine, for lhe wish of a holistic treatment and also, because they consider this medicine effective.(AU)