title: Strategies for Acute and Critical Care Nurses Implementing Complementary Therapies Requested by Patients and Their Families.
abstract: As consumer use of complementary and alternative medicine or modalities continues to increase in the United States, requests for these therapies in the acute and critical care setting will probably continue to expand in scope and frequency. Incorporation of complementary therapies in the plan of care is consistent with principles of patient- and family-centered care and collaborative decision-making and may provide a measure of relief for the distress of admission to an acute or critical care setting. An earlier article provided an overview of complementary and alternative therapies that nurses may encounter in their practices, with specific attention to implications for acute and critical care nurses. This article provides key information on the legal, ethical, safety, quality, and financial challenges that acute and critical care nurses should consider when implementing patient and family requests for complementary therapies.
authors.affiliation: Debra Kramlich is an assistant professor of nursing, University of New England, Portland, Maine. She is also a traditional Usui Reiki master/teacher with more than 10 years of experience. dkramlich@maine.rr.com.
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kramlich
mesh_terms: D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000451:nursing* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D064648:Critical Care Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D016529:Emergency Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D055318:Evidence-Based Nursing; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States