title: Complementary and alternative medicine and the search for knowledge by conventional health care practitioners.
abstract: The use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) is growing rapidly within the western world and the nexus with conventional health care services is expanding. Many nurses and other conventional health care providers are not only using CAM themselves but see many of their clients using these medicines and therapies. The attitudes to CAM can influence client satisfaction and client use of different therapies and many practitioners of conventional health care are seeking education and information to enhance their knowledge and use of CAM. This paper reflects on the attitudes to CAM and the education needs and services in the field of CAM as identified by western health care providers, in particular nurses.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, School of Biomedical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dayhew
authors.forename: Jenny M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: Maree D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Simpson
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000193:education* / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D055048:Integrative Medicine; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data