- Title
- Nurses' attitudes and behaviour towards patients' use of complementary therapies: A mixed methods study
- Creator
- Hall, Helen; Brosnan, Caragh; Cant, Robyn; Collins, Melissa; Leach, Matthew
- Relation
- Journal of Advanced Nursing Vol. 74, Issue 7, p. 1649-1658
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jan.13554
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2018
- Description
- Aim: To explore Registered Nurses’ attitudes and behaviour towards patients’ use of complementary therapies. Background: Despite high rates of use of complementary therapies by the general population, little is known of how nurses respond to patients’ use of these therapies. Design: A two‐phase sequential exploratory mixed methods design. Methods: Nineteen Registered Nurses working in Australia participated in a semi‐structured interview in 2015–2016 and emerging themes informed the development of a quantitative survey instrument administered online nationwide in 2016. Findings: Emerging key themes “Promoting safe care”; “Seeking complementary therapies knowledge”;” Supporting holistic health care”; and “Integrating complementary therapies in practice” were reflected in survey results. Survey responses (N = 614) revealed >90% agreement that complementary therapies align with a holistic view of health and that patients have the right to use them. Most nurses (77.5%) discussed complementary therapies with patients and 91.8% believed nurses should have some understanding of the area. One‐third did not recommend complementary therapies and there was a lack of overall consensus as to whether these therapies should be integrated into nursing practice. Nurses with training in complementary therapies held more positive views than those without. Conclusion: Nurses were generally supportive of patients’ interest in complementary therapies, although their primary concern was safety of the patient. Despite broad acceptance that nurses should have a basic understanding of complementary therapies, there was a lack of consensus about recommendation, integration into nursing practice and referral. Further research should explore how nurses can maintain safe, patient‐centred care in the evolving pluralistic healthcare system.
- Subject
- complementary therapies; education; nursing; nurse-patient interaction; nurses' role
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1448114
- Identifier
- uon:43314
- Identifier
- ISSN:0309-2402
- Language
- eng
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