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Conhecimento, atitude e práticas de profissionais de saúde em relação à utilização de substâncias psicadélicas em Portugal
| Nome: | Descrição: | Tamanho: | Formato: | |
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| Dissertação de mestrado_19738 | 1.55 MB | Adobe PDF |
Orientador(es)
Resumo(s)
Nas últimas décadas, o aumento da evidência científica relativa à eficácia das substâncias psicadélicas no tratamento de diversas condições clínicas e na promoção da saúde física e mental têm contribuído para o crescente interesse por parte da população em geral. Neste contexto, é expectável que os profissionais de saúde sejam cada vez mais solicitados para prestar aconselhamento sobre a utilização destas substâncias para fins terapêuticos e recreativos, o que implica que estejam devidamente preparados para informarem, recomendarem ou referenciarem, quando apropriado, para profissionais e/ou serviços especializados.
Neste sentido, o presente estudo teve como principal objetivo descrever o conhecimento, a atitude e as práticas dos profissionais de saúde em relação à utilização de substâncias psicadélicas na prática clínica em Portugal, assim como compreender de que forma estas três varáveis (conhecimento, atitude e práticas) estão associadas. Para este fim, foi realizado um estudo exploratório, transversal, de natureza quantitativa, com recurso a um questionário online desenvolvido para o efeito - Conhecimento, Atitude e Práticas (CAP) -, administrado a profissionais de saúde em exercício da sua prática clínica em Portugal. A colheita de dados decorreu entre outubro de 2024 e maio de 2025 e a análise estatística dos dados foi realizada com o recurso ao software IBM-SPSS29.0. Responderam ao questionário 34 profissionais de saúde – médicos, enfermeiros, psicólogos, psicoterapeutas - maioritariamente do género feminino (79.4%; n = 27), com uma média de idades de 44.59 (DP = 11.88), residentes maioritariamente na região Norte do país (97.1%; n = 33).
Apesar dos participantes reportarem níveis reduzidos de conhecimento sobre a investigação atual e a aplicabilidade clínica das substâncias psicadélicas, evidenciaram um nível de conhecimento considerado moderado no que respeita às aplicações clínicas destas substâncias, sendo este menos evidente em relação aos seus potenciais benefícios e riscos. No que diz respeito à atitude, os profissionais de saúde apresentaram posicionamentos moderados e cautelosos em relação à segurança, legalização e potencial terapêutico. Relativamente às práticas, os participantes revelaram apresentar práticas atuais e uma preparação igualmente moderadas, não consolidadas, em relação ao aconselhamento, à referenciação de pacientes e à atualização profissional na área. Verificou-se que profissionais com níveis mais elevados de conhecimento tendem a apresentar atitudes mais favoráveis relativamente à utilização terapêutica, segurança e legalização destas substâncias. Contudo, não se observaram associações significativas entre o conhecimento e as práticas, nem entre as atitudes e as práticas, sendo consideradas variáveis independentes.
O presente estudo revela a urgência de se proceder à divulgação científica sobre a utilização das substâncias psicadélicas em contextos clínicos e não clínicos e a necessidade de desenvolvimento futuro de programas de formação e treino dirigidos aos profissionais de saúde em Portugal, de modo a que se encontrem mais (e melhor) preparados para informar, discutir, orientar, recomendar e referenciar os seus pacientes para profissionais e serviços de saúde especializados.
Over the past decades, the growing body of scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness of psychedelic substances in the treatment of various clinical conditions and in the promotion of physical and mental health has contributed to increase public interest in these substances. In this context, healthcare professionals are expected to be increasingly called upon to provide guidance on the use of these substances for both therapeutic and recreational purposes. This requires them to be adequately prepared to inform, recommend, or refer patients, when appropriate, to specialized healthcare professionals and/or healthcare services. In this regard, the main objective of the present study was to describe the knowledge, attitude, and practices of healthcare professionals regarding the use of psychedelic substances in clinical practice in Portugal, as well to understand how knowledge, attitude and practices are associated. To this end, an exploratory, cross sectional quantitative study was conducted using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this purpose – Conhecimento, Atitude e Práticas (CAP) – administered to healthcare professionals currently engaged in clinical practice in Portugal. Data collection took place between 2024, October and 2025, May and statistical data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 29.0 software. A total of 34 healthcare professionals – physicians, nurses, psychologists, and psychotherapists – answered to the questionnaire. The majority were female (79.4%; n = 27); with a mean age of 44.59 years (SD=11.88), and most were resident in the northern region of the country (97.1%; n = 33). Although participants self-reported low levels of knowledge regarding current research and the clinical applicability of psychedelic substances, they demonstrated a level of knowledge considered moderated regarding their clinical applications, which was less evident concerning their potential benefits and risks. In terms of attitudes, healthcare professionals showed moderated and cautious positions regarding safety, legalisation and therapeutic potential. Regarding practices, participants revealed similarly moderate and not yet well-established practices and levels of preparedness concerning patient counselling, referral and professional updating in this field. It was observed that professionals with higher levels of knowledge tended to present more favourable attitudes towards the therapeutic use, safety and legalisation of psychedelic substances. However, no significant associations were found between knowledge and practices, nor between attitudes and practices suggesting that these variables may be independent. The present study highlights the urgency of promoting scientific dissemination regarding the use of psychedelic substances in both clinical and non-clinical contexts, as well as the need for the future development of training and educational programmes aimed at healthcare professionals in Portugal, so that they may be better prepared to inform, discuss, guide, recommend and refer their patients to specialised healthcare professionals and services.
Over the past decades, the growing body of scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness of psychedelic substances in the treatment of various clinical conditions and in the promotion of physical and mental health has contributed to increase public interest in these substances. In this context, healthcare professionals are expected to be increasingly called upon to provide guidance on the use of these substances for both therapeutic and recreational purposes. This requires them to be adequately prepared to inform, recommend, or refer patients, when appropriate, to specialized healthcare professionals and/or healthcare services. In this regard, the main objective of the present study was to describe the knowledge, attitude, and practices of healthcare professionals regarding the use of psychedelic substances in clinical practice in Portugal, as well to understand how knowledge, attitude and practices are associated. To this end, an exploratory, cross sectional quantitative study was conducted using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this purpose – Conhecimento, Atitude e Práticas (CAP) – administered to healthcare professionals currently engaged in clinical practice in Portugal. Data collection took place between 2024, October and 2025, May and statistical data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 29.0 software. A total of 34 healthcare professionals – physicians, nurses, psychologists, and psychotherapists – answered to the questionnaire. The majority were female (79.4%; n = 27); with a mean age of 44.59 years (SD=11.88), and most were resident in the northern region of the country (97.1%; n = 33). Although participants self-reported low levels of knowledge regarding current research and the clinical applicability of psychedelic substances, they demonstrated a level of knowledge considered moderated regarding their clinical applications, which was less evident concerning their potential benefits and risks. In terms of attitudes, healthcare professionals showed moderated and cautious positions regarding safety, legalisation and therapeutic potential. Regarding practices, participants revealed similarly moderate and not yet well-established practices and levels of preparedness concerning patient counselling, referral and professional updating in this field. It was observed that professionals with higher levels of knowledge tended to present more favourable attitudes towards the therapeutic use, safety and legalisation of psychedelic substances. However, no significant associations were found between knowledge and practices, nor between attitudes and practices suggesting that these variables may be independent. The present study highlights the urgency of promoting scientific dissemination regarding the use of psychedelic substances in both clinical and non-clinical contexts, as well as the need for the future development of training and educational programmes aimed at healthcare professionals in Portugal, so that they may be better prepared to inform, discuss, guide, recommend and refer their patients to specialised healthcare professionals and services.
Descrição
Palavras-chave
Psicadélicos Conhecimento Atitudes Práticas Profissionais de saúde Psychedelics Knowledge Attitude Practices Health professional