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A comparison of the knowledge of, experience with and attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine between nurses and patients in Korea
Author(s) -
Yom YoungHee,
Lee Kyu Eun
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of clinical nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1365-2702
pISSN - 0962-1067
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2007.02065.x
Subject(s) - medicine , relevance (law) , descriptive statistics , cross sectional study , alternative medicine , nursing , family medicine , health care , statistics , mathematics , pathology , political science , law , economics , economic growth
Aims and objectives. To compare nurses’ and patients’ knowledge of, experience with and attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Background. Despite increasing interest in, and use of, CAM among the public and health care providers, research on CAM‐related nursing is limited. Furthermore, the level of knowledge and attitudes towards, and use of CAM between nurses and patients have never been studied in Korea. Therefore, a comparison is called for with regard to the knowledge, experience and attitudes of patients and nurses in Korea regarding CAM. Designs. A cross‐sectional survey design was used. Methods. A convenience sample of 485 nurses and 367 patients responded to three questionnaires covering issues including their knowledge levels, attitudes towards and their use of CAM. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results. Overall, nurses had significantly higher mean scores in their knowledge of CAM than patients. Most nurses and patients had heard about CAM, but few had sufficient knowledge to perform CAM. Nurses had more education, experience and positive attitudes regarding CAM than patients. Conclusions. Nurses need to be knowledgeable about CAM so that correct information and support can be provided to their patients. Relevance to clinical practice. Nurses need additional training or education on CAM, because they should be able to respond adequately to questions from patients. Ultimately, nurses have an important role in helping patients use CAM safely.