Contributions of auriculotherapy to the health of nursing professionals in perioperative units: a qualitative study.

Objective: to analyze the contributions of auriculotherapy to the health of nursing professionals in perioperative units. Method: exploratory, descriptive study developed with eight nursing professionals from perioperative units of a teaching hospital in the central region of Rio Grande do Sul. Data collected with semi-structured interview. Discursive textual analysis was applied. Results: a central category was built: repercussions of auriculotherapy for perioperative nursing professionals; it was unitized into a base unit and three categories of analysis. Conclusion: auriculotherapy proved to be a beneficial practice for the health of perioperative nursing professionals, while helping to relieve symptoms such as anxiety, stress, tiredness, irritability, bruxism and gastrointestinal discomforts, as well as improving sleep, interpersonal relationships with family members and the work team, reducing tobacco use and weight loss. This research reveals auriculotherapy as a promising practice for the health of perioperative nursing workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]