title: Taiwanese nurses' attitudes towards and use of complementary and alternative medicine in nursing practice: a cross-sectional survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increasingly, nurses in Western countries express positive attitudes to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) but lack knowledge, access to education and organisational policy to guide practice. It is unclear whether nurses in developed Asian countries mirror or differ from this profile.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the attitudes towards and use of CAM by registered nurses in Taiwan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross sectional survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  A Nursing College in eastern Taiwan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Registered nurses (N=170) working in various clinical settings who were studying a post registration Bachelor of Nursing conversion course.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaire distributed to nurses during class time.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most nurses had positive attitudes to CAM and most used therapies, like massage, occasionally in practice. However, none had formal qualifications in CAM and most perceived that there were insufficient resources or organisational policy to facilitate practice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taiwanese nurses need more formal education about CAM and require access to clear policies regarding the safe use of CAM in nursing practice.
authors.affiliation: Nursing Department, Tzu Chi College of Technology, Taiwan, ROC. sylvia@tccn.edu.tw
authors.forename: Fang-Ying
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wallis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000193:education / Q000451:nursing* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004506:Education, Nursing; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013624:Taiwan