Flower therapy and perceived stress in primary health care nursing professionals: randomized clinical trial.

Abstract

To analyze the effectiveness of Bach flower therapy compared to placebo in reducing perceived stress levels in primary health care nursing professionals. Pragmatic, parallel randomized clinical trial conducted with 87 primary care nursing professionals with self-identified stress, from October 2021 to June 2022, in the cities of Osasco and São Paulo, Brazil. The intervention group (n=43) received the collective flower formula, and the placebo group (n=44) received only the diluent. Data analysis was performed using the linear mixed model, and effect size was measured by partial Eta squared, significance level 5%. Data analysis showed a significant reduction in perceived stress levels within groups (p=0.038). However, there was no significant difference between the study groups (p=0.750). Participants in the intervention group reported a greater perception of changes than participants in the placebo group, but without statistical significance (p=0,089). The floral formula was not more effective than the placebo formula in reducing perceived stress. There was a significant stress reduction among nursing professionals in both study groups, although with a small effect size.