Methods: All RNs in a single community hospital were invited to participate in a study of their knowledge, attitudes and use of integrative modalities or Complementary Health Approaches (CHAs). After IRB approval, RN participants were recruited via emails, flyers, newsletters, and announcements. They were asked to complete a lengthy but well-validated paper-and-pencil survey (Tracey et al., 2005) that focused on 28 specific CHAs. The data, examined with descriptive statistics (frequencies) and a comparison of t-tests revealed the nurses’ knowledge, attitudes and use of specific CHAs personally and in everyday clinical practice.
Results: Sixty-two nurses completed the survey. These nurses were most familiar with eight of the 28 modalities: diet, exercise, massage, therapeutic touch, music therapy, relaxation techniques, prayer and spiritual direction, and aromatherapy. A nurse’s personal experience with a CHA made it far more likely (p=0.001 to p=0.035) that the nurse would either recommend that modality to patients or introduce it into their practice. Neither RN age nor education correlated positively with the use of specific modalities in practice. Lack of staff training, knowledge, and time were identified as the top barriers to use of CHAs (>95%).
Conclusion: The Community hospital nurses reported positive attitudes about CHAs and their responses revealed that they were open to eager to use CHAs in practice. These nurses reported a higher use of aromatherapy than reported in similar studies. Their barriers to using CHAs in practice were mainly their lack of knowledge, a finding consistent in other similar studies of CHAs (Rojas-Cooley & Grant, 2009, Tracey et al., 2005). The correlation of personal use/experience with a given modality made it more likely that the nurse would incorporate or introduce a given modality into care. Future research studies may reveal if a more experiential approach to teaching about CHAs might move knowledge into practice more effectively and efficiently.