Efetividade da auriculoterapia para incontinência urinária em pessoas adultas e idosas: revisão sistemática

Objective: to analyze the effectiveness of auriculotherapy for urinary incontinence in adults and elderly people. Methods: systematic review, with searches in seven sources of information. Experimental and observational studies on auriculotherapy for urinary incontinence in adults and the elderly were included. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the JBI instruments, and the certainty of the evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation. Narrative data synthesis. Results: 2,205 references were identified, five of which were included in the evidence synthesis. The studies used seeds, magnetic pallets, and semi-permanent needles as materials. The main intervention acupoints were the bladder, liver, kidney, and internal genitalia, following Traditional Chinese Medicine. Auriculotherapy significantly improved urinary incontinence in three studies, promoting the well-being of the individuals. Conclusion: auriculotherapy was beneficial in controlling urinary incontinence in adults and the elderly, but there was variability in the interventions tested, and the certainty of the evidence was very low. Contributions to practice: the evidence from this review suggests that health services and professionals can use alternative interventions.