How Should Nurses Deal with Complementary Therapies?

Conventional medicine and medical practitioners tend to be skeptical of healing modalities that have not been subjected to empirical scientific study; thus, discussion of nonconventional modalities is not included in lists of alternatives for patients, nor are these modalities generally available in most conventional health care settings.

• What do you think about this attitude toward complementary therapies?

• What experiences have you had with complementary therapies?

• How might attitudes toward complementary therapies affect the ability of nurses to provide culturally congruent care for their patients?

• What are the ethical implications related to limiting a patient’s access to complementary therapies and practitioners within conventional health care institutions?

• How have you experienced complementary therapies within nursing practice?