title: Complementary and alternative therapies: survey of knowledge and attitudes of health professionals at a tertiary pediatric/women's care facility.
abstract: Nurses, physicians, and allied health professionals at the IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada, a tertiary care, regional center for a population of 2.5 million were surveyed. We examined personal attitudes and professional practice in addressing the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use by patients. We also examined the availability of CAM-related information to health professionals. The findings suggest that health professionals: (1) are supportive of the use of selected CAM therapies by patients; (2) have almost no personal experience of CAM; (3) have limited knowledge about CAM and acquire that information mainly from the Internet, friends or family rather than professional journals; (4) are uncomfortable discussing CAM with patients and; (5) rarely or never ask patients about CAM use. We have identified barriers for health professionals to effective communication about CAM use by their patients and families. Improved access to existing policies and scientific publications, and specific continuing professional development opportunities focused on speaking openly and non-judgmentally with patients are likely to enhance accurate guidance of patients in the highly prevalent use of CAM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Interdisciplinary Research, IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada. janis.brown@iwk.nshealth.ca
authors.forename: Janis
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: Lyn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Frankton
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Steeves-Wall
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gillis-Ring
authors.forename: Wanda
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Barter
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McCabe
authors.forename: Conrad
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fernandez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006771:Hospitals, Maternity / Q000592:standards*; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007325:Institutional Practice; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009674:Nova Scotia; D011361:Professional Competence; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D016387:Women's Health