Complementary and alternative medicine and critical care nurses: A survey of knowledge and practices in Australia

Abstract

Background: The increasing and widespread use of complementary and alternative medicine in the general population requires health-care professionals to have a knowledge and appreciation of their use to ensure that decisions about care are appropriate, safe and meet patients' needs. This is also the case for critical care nurses. Presently, healthcare professionals including nurses have limited formal education on complementary and alternative medicine. Critical care nurses' role in relation to complementary and alternative medicine is important for two patient care reasons: some can adversely interact with conventional medicines and others can potentially improve patient's well-being. Australian critical care nurses' knowledge of complementary and alternative medicine is unknown. Purpose: To identify Australian critical care nurses' assessment practices, attitudes, knowledge, and use of complementary and alternative medicine in practice.