Telemeditação por meio da meditação guiada: barreiras, facilitadores e efeitos da prática em pacientes com artrite reumatoide

Abstract

Background and Objective: Considering the need to practice self-care and the ease of access to the cell phone for telerehabilitation as an alternative method of treatment, the objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of the practice of meditation guided by the Meditação Natura® cell phone application on symptoms of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Method: In this quasi-experimental study, with quantitative and qualitative variables, 13 patients from the Clinical School of Physiotherapy at UFRN/FACISA were included. Participants were instructed to use the application, which offers an eight-week program with four classes per week, with a theoretical and a practical component. As assessment instruments, the following scales were used: WHO Well-being Index (WHO-5), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Numerical Pain Scale (END), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue Scale (Facit- F), ASES-8 Scale, weekly patient reports and final reports, to assess well-being, stress, pain, fatigue, self-efficacy, barriers, facilitators and mood, respectively. Assessments were performed before the intervention (T1), at the fourth week (T4) and at the eighth week (T8). Results: Significance values ​​were observed only in the pain and stress domains, evaluated by the PSS and END scales. An improvement in mood is observed in the final reports of the participants. Regarding adherence, 11 participants performed 100% of the intervention and 2 dropped out. Final considerations: The study suggests that this type of intervention may be an alternative used to alleviate pain and stress symptoms, as well as improve mood in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.