Integrative Therapy Use among Registered Nurses in an Acute Care Setting

Abstract

Alternatives are needed to help patients manage pain and discomfort in acute care settings. Integrative therapies (IT) involve complementary/alternative medicine practices assimilated into conventional care. The degree to which Registered Nurses (RNs) use IT remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to characterize knowledge, barriers, and intent to use IT among RNs in an acute care setting. The following research questions were addressed: (1) How frequently do acute care RNs use IT techniques? (2) What barriers exist when implementing IT in clinical settings? and (3) Do RNs intend to use IT in future patient care? A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with RNs in a western Wisconsin hospital. Nurse Managers emailed invitations to study-eligible RNs. One hundred and sixty-four nurses responded from a total of 463 invited (35% response). In the past six months, 79% reported use of IT with their patients. The most common practices were relaxed breathing, music therapy, essential oils, massage, and aromatherapy. Years of experience influenced IT use, but other factors such as age, gender, or nursing degree type had limited influence on IT use. Overall, the use of IT was generally high in this sample of hospital RNs, particularly among those trained more recently.