Verified Document

Patients Turn To Complementary And Alternative Medicine Essay

¶ … patients turn to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in pursuit of healing as a last resort following unsuccessful application of traditional or Western medicine. A National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) which also included an aspect of alternative medicine revealed that approximately 38% of adults use alternative medicine (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Some of the drugs attempted to improve human condition include herbal or botanical substances. There have been numerous botanical products inventoried for their medicinal effects. Nurses working in the hospice care lack the basic knowledge in administering alternative medicine on patients. Thus, to ensure efficient administration of treatment using alternative or complimentary therapy, it is necessary to education nurses on practical methods. The nurses as practitioners need to be educated on Bell's three stages for proper administration of alternative procedures. Contribution to the Future of Healthcare

The model herein described is deduced from theoretical and related research literature as well as from theory of change. This change of design model provides practitioners with a guide in the implementing a combination of alternative and traditional therapy in hospice care practice. The process commences with evaluation of the need for change and ends with integration of the design an evidence-based protocol in the care of patients with end of life expectancy. This model is also useful in primary care setting as well as in acute inpatient units.

Change Model Overview

The Rosswurm and Larrabbee Model here is a guide through a systematic process for the change to evidence-based practice. There is availability of clinical research with significant findings that lay the foundation for change from traditional and intuition-driven practice to evidence-based practice. Medical practitioners require necessary skills as well as resources to help them appraise, synthesize, and diffuse the best evidence into practice. Furthermore, patient results or outcomes need to be consistent with discipline-specific and interdisciplinary accountabilities.

The Applying the Rosswurm and Larrabbee Model

The partnership between researchers and medical practitioners is helpful in facilitating diffusion of evidence-based practice innovations. Therefore, in this proposal, Rosswurm and Larrabbee Model is the chosen option for change.

Step 1: Assess the Need for Change in Practice

To increase hospice care nurses' knowledge in the administration and procedures of alternative medicine the first step involves the introduction of the therapy including Yoga therapy with in-bed postures, Reiki, Aromatherapy, Nutrition, Education in death and dying awareness (Forester, 2012). There is need for hospice nurses to acquire clinical experience and proper over-sight in alternative therapy. This type of therapy is a departure from the typical traditional protocol available to nurses. This is an opportunity for hospice nurses to embrace values of wellness and alternative medicine into the care of patients (Bardia, Barton, Prokop, & Bauer, 2006). It is an opportunity for the nurses to grow career wise and spiritually. This way they can give comfort and care to patients when they most need it, at the transition from this life (Forester, 2012). The PICOT question presented in Milestone 1 is:

Patients admitted to hospice care

I -Combining traditional/Western medicine with alternative/complimentary therapy

C- Patients who are not receiving alternative therapy, such as Reiki therapy, mass- age therapy, aromatherapy therapy but who are only receiving traditional, conventional therapy.

O-Increase in patient symptom control, increase in patient comfort by combining conventional and alternative medicine and therapy.

T-One to six months

Step 2: Link the Problem, Interventions, and Outcomes

The nurses identify and select possible interventions and patient outcomes based on their clinical judgment, system priorities as well as available resources. The care provided in a hospice care is not curative, but helpful toward managing symptoms and pain (Mayoclinic.com, 2011). Medical practitioners need to embrace alternative therapy that has been found to be beneficial in controlling conditions related to this care. Results of studies in this field indicate that certain measures such as gentle touch, stroking, and massage have positive impact on patients in regard to the heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and even hormone levels (Kow02).

Step 3: Synthesize the Best Evidence

In this stage, medical practitioners as well as researchers undertake a comprehensive literature review on combining traditional/Western medicine with alternative/complimentary therapy. The information is appraised and synthesizing thereafter their evidence compared with clinical judgments as well as related data. Subsequently, they choose to begin a preliminary trial that the nurses can implement and which is highly beneficial in reducing pain and if possible casualty among patients (Rosswurm & Larrabee, 1999).

The three...

The subject headings used to modify the search included alternative/complimentary therapy. In synthesizing evidence peer-reviewed journals and publications are used to ensure that these articles are relevant to the specific topic.
Literature Review

Kohara, et.al, (2004) in combined modality treatment of aromatherapy, footsoak, and reflexology relieves fatigue in patients with cancer talks about the effectiveness of aromatherapy, foot soak, massage and reflexology against fatigue in cancer patients and hospice patients. They describe quantitative research performed to test the effectiveness of the treatments. The study involved 20 terminally ill patients as participants rating their CFS, (cancer fatigue scale) before, 1 hour after and 4 hours after treatment. It showed that their CFS scores improved significantly. In the same line, Kowalski (2002) examines the use of aromatherapy in hospice patients to decrease pain, anxiety, and other symptoms they experience with an end of life expectancy. Kowalski points at the importance of creating a sense of well-being with the use of alternative medicine combined with Western medicine. The article is a quantitative analysis of the effects of using lavender oil aromatherapy. It identifies positive results in decreasing pain, decreasing blood pressure and creating a better sense of well-being. Furthermore, Heath, et, al.(2012), discusses the use of complementary and alternative medicines during the end of life period. This qualitative study analyses interviews with parents of children with end of life expectancy. The conclusion of the study found CAM beneficial when administered to patients with end of life expectancy.

A body of research point at the importance of comfort and pain elevation in hospice care. Cummings (2011) talks about the importance of comfort and support provided to the patients admitted to palliative and/or hospice care and helpful therapies available. Cummings in this article makes a quantitative analysis of a study of more than 300 hospice patients. She adds that the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, massage therapy, reflexology, healing touch Reiki and music therapy provided pain relief, alleviated nausea and fatigue as well as decreased anxiety and depression. The study recommendations can be used as a guide for future therapy and research. Bardia, et, al.(2006), furthers this issue by providing a quantitative analysis of RCTs using CAM interventions for pain control. These were abstracted using Medline, Embase, Cinahl, Amed and Cochrane databases. This study covers the lack of evidence based about their efficacy. In this article, eighteen trials were identified with a total of 1499 patients. It is therefore evident that there is a growing use of complementary and alternative medicine use among the general population: a systematic review of the literature. According to Rees (2004), describes quantitative analysis by which a protocol which was developed to conduct a systemic review of published research. Twelve studies were reviewed from research. This article reviewed twelve studies and included six countries. The most aggressive studies were conducted in Australia and the U.S., showing a high proportion of the population using CAM. This study was large and global enough to be able to use as a guide for use in future studies and use.

Step 4: Design Practice Change

In the effort to combining traditional or western medicine with alternative or complimentary therapy, the team will incorporate nursing activities for patients who are not receiving alternative therapy, such as Reiki therapy, mass- age therapy, aromatherapy therapy but who are only receiving traditional, conventional therapy. This will be an in-service training and hands-on experience done between one and six months.

Step 5: Implement and Evaluate the Change in Practice

In implementing the combination of traditional or western medicine with alternative or complimentary therapy, hospice nurses will be divided into two groups; and three nurses from each group will serve as coordinators during the implementation period. These will be registered Hospice nurses certified as hospice workers by the department of health. This program will be an in service program incorporating those RNs with Bachelors of Science nursing degree (BSN). In addition to the 6 trainees, there will also be 2 trainers on the implementation of alternative therapy. The trainers will conduct two 40 minute alternating classes every week for the two groups; these will be formal classes that will include teaching theory and analyzing recent studies on alternative therapy. There will also be two 30 min practical sessions that are intended to introduce practical best practices on using alternative treatment on patients. These sessions will include practices such as massage, acupressure, acupuncture, aromatherapy, ayurvedic medicine among other. Alongside the trainers, there will also be 2 coordinators who will monitor the six-month implementation process and obtain the nurses' feedback. In line with this, they will analyze and document progress data…

Sources used in this document:
References

Bardia, A., Barton, D., Prokop, L., & Bauer, B. (2006). Efficacy of complementary and alternative medicine therapies in relieving cancer pain: A systematic review. American Society of Clinical Oncoloty, 5457-5464.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012, November 16). National Health Interview Survey. Retrieved November 24, 2012, from www.cdc.gov.

Cummings, K. (2011). End of life and hospice care . Minneapolis: University of Minnesota.

Forester, H. (2012). Alternative Medicine and Hospice Care for LPN/RNs. Retrieved November 24, 2012, from http://nursinglink.monster.com/education/articles/8397-alternative-medicine-and-hospice-care-for-lpnrns
Mayoclinic.com. (2011). Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress. Retrieved November 25, 2012, from http://mayoclinic.com/health/meditation/HQ01070
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Alternative Medicine Complementary and Alternative
Words: 2299 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

In contrast to other work in this field, this book views alternative health as a social movement, and shows commonalities between the cultural left and the religious right that can help form a new healthcare paradigm. National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine 2000 Expanding Horizons of Healthcare: Five-year Strategic Plan, 2001-2005. National Institute of Health Publication No. 01-5001. Gaithersburg, Maryland: National Institutes of Health. In this report, the National Center for Complementary and

Alternative Medicine Probiotics to Treat
Words: 3300 Length: 10 Document Type: Research Paper

After three weeks, crying was decreased in both groups, but the Lactobacillus reuteri infants demonstrated the greater reduction, from a mean of 370 minutes of crying per day at the beginning of the study to 35 minutes at the end. The placebo group's mean crying time went down from a mean of 300 minutes per day to 90 minutes per day. Stool examination also demonstrated a considerable decrease in

Alternative Support Alternative Therapeutic Support
Words: 1591 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

The preliminary data suggests that nurses need to adopt a holistic approach toward care as more and more mothers seek out non-pharmacological and natural methods for improving comfort and reducing the pain associated with labor and delivery. Nurses can also help patients by educating them about their choices during labor, as well as potential unexpected events that occur during labor and delivery. As this study shows, mothers prepared for the

Public Health Funding Be Directed Towards Complementary
Words: 2471 Length: 7 Document Type: Research Paper

public health funding be directed towards complementary medicine? Complementary Medicine An Argumentative Essay Complementary medicine describes the use of therapies and herbal medicines which are not commonly practiced by doctors. The term itself refers to getting a medical treatment by doctor and simultaneously getting such therapies so both treatments work together to improve the patient's health. Many of the therapies or herbal medicines have been a part of our lives but most

Traditional Medicine Usage in African Nations
Words: 3615 Length: 12 Document Type: Essay

Overview of Africa’s Post-Conflict History Historical Formal Institutions Colonial legacies persist in Africa in spite of a post-colonial era (Austin, 2010). These legacies have continued in post-conflict Africa’s history. In Africa, there has been no real unifying factor bringing individuals together, primarily because of the communal aspect of society throughout the continent. Community exists and can be found everywhere in Africa. Structural, dramaturgic and institutional factors in formal institutionalization in Africa of

Consent in Cam Consent and
Words: 1463 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

They have no formal oversight authority. Practices regarding informed consent are inconsistent. This poses a major concern for patient safety while using CAM. Complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been criticized for a lack of standards in the delivery of services. Holexa and Caspi (2005) found that this lack of standards extends into the practice of informed consent. Patients often do not have access to proper information during the decision-making

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now