Congress Abstracts 2004

79

COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES: KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND USE AMONG CANCER CENTER HEALTH PROFESSIONALS. Joan Gallagher, EdD, RN-BC, AOCN^®, Jennifer Tenhover, MSN, RN, BC, AOCN^®, Eileen Joyce, MSW, LICSW, and Katie Binda, MSW, LICSW, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA.

Medical literature documents the utilization of complementary therapies as high as 45% in the general population. More than $10 billion, out-of-pocket, in 2001 has been spent on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners (Penson et al., 2001). We expected that complementary therapies were being used by a similar percentage of patients in our cancer community. The role of nursing in eliciting patient use of CAM is critical to patient safety.

A patient survey conducted in 2002 received 428 responses. Thirty-four percent of respondents reported using CAMs, and of those, 44% were not telling their healthcare providers. This prompted us to consider the knowledge, attitudes, and use of CAM among oncology healthcare professionals as a factor in these results.

Limited research was found in the literature. With permission, we adapted a tool developed for nurse practitioners by King (2000). Content validity was established using experts within the disciplines. The survey investigated knowledge, attitudes toward and use of complementary therapies among cancer center healthcare professionals in our academic medical center. An Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved tool was mailed directly to each cancer center physician, nurse, social worker, and other healthcare professionals. Of 587 surveys, 218 completed responses were received (37% response rate).

• Providers’ knowledge of specific therapies and perceived benefit,
• Types of therapies providers currently use and recommend,
• Providers’ perceptions about their patients’ utilization of CAM, and
• Providers’ interest in additional information about specific CAM.

Nurse respondents represent various roles, levels of education, specialty practices, and inpatient/outpatient settings. Findings and implications of CAM, particularly ingestibles, will be addressed.