Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of nurses toward the effectiveness and safety, as well as their recommendations for and personal use of complementary and alternative medical therapies. A random sample of 1000 nurses throughout the United States were surveyed using a three-wave mailing. About half of the respondents perceived there was conclusive evidence or preponderance of evidence that five therapies were effective: biofeedback, chiropractic, meditation/relaxation, multi-vitamins, and massage therapy. The same amount of nurses also perceived five therapies as definitely safe: hypnotherapy, chiropractic, acupressure, acupuncture, and healing touch. However, the nurses were most likely to recommend (regularly or periodically) four therapies: multivitamins, massage, meditation/relaxation, and pastoral/spiritual counseling. The vast majority (79%) of nurses perceived their professional preparation in this area to be fair or poor.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Pepa CA, Russell CA. Introducing complementary/alternative strategies in a baccalaureate curriculum. Nurs Health Care Perspect 2000;21:127-129.
Eisenberg DM, Davis RB, Ettner SL, Appel S, Wilkey S, Van Rompaz M, Kessler RC. Trends in alternative medicine use in the US: 1990-1997. JAMA. 1998;280:1569-1575.
Eisenberg DM, Kessler RC, Foster C, Norlock FE, Calkins DR, Delbanco TL. Unconventional medicine in the United States: Prevalence, costs, and patterns of use. N Engl J Med. 1993;328:246-252.
Borkan J, Nehler J, Anson O, Smoker B. Referrals for alternative therapies. J Fam Pract. 1994;39:545-550.
Astin JA. Why patients use alternative medicine: results from a national study. JAMA. 1998;279:1548-1553.
Menies M. Should alternative treatment be integrated into mainstream medicine? Nurs Forum. 1998;33(2):11-17.
Salmenpera L, Suominen T, Laurie S. Oncology nurses' attitudes towards alternative medicine. Psycho-oncology. 1998;7:453-459.
Fitch MI, Gray RE, Greenberg, Douglas MS, Labrecque M, Pavlin P, Freedhoff S. Oncology nurses' perspectives on unconventional therapies. Cancer Nurs. 1999;22:90-96.
Allaire AD, Moos MK, Wells SR. Complementary and alternative medicine in pregnancy: a survey of North Carolina certified nurse-midwives. Obstet Gynecol. 2000;95:19-23.
Oden LS, Price JH. The effect of a monetary incentive in increasing the return rate of a survey to nurse practitioners. Psych Rep. 1999;85:1154-1157.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Brolinson, P.G., Price, J.H., Ditmyer, M. et al. Nurses' Perceptions of Complementary and Alternative Medical Therapies. Journal of Community Health 26, 175–189 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010369012151
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010369012151