NURS 4005 – Week 5 Discussion – Holistic Care and Treatments
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) are treatments outside the scope of traditional Western medicine (Calcagni et al., 2019). One challenge associated with the nurse’s role in providing alternative treatments is the patient’s financial situation. For cancer patients, treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation are typically the standard of care. Medications for symptoms associated with treatment – like pain and nausea are usually covered as well. Therefore, if a patient has health insurance, many of these “traditional” treatments may have a set copay or nominal fee. CAM therapies like reiki, yoga, massage therapy, and acupuncture are outside of conventional treatments, and patients interested in CAM have to pay out of pocket. Cancer treatments can cause many side effects that prevent a patient from working, which may place patients and their families in financial trouble.
When managing cancer treatment side effects such as anxiety, stress, and pain, the nurse may recommend meditation and yoga. Studies have shown that yoga improves the quality of life, memory, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and sleep quality at various cancer treatment stages, including during chemotherapy and radiation, as well as after completion of treatment. Meditation has proven to be effective in managing stress and depression, as well as cardiopulmonary and gastrointestinal symptoms (Koula & Knight, 2018). Meditation and yoga do not require a doctor’s prescription and have little to no cost. Unfortunately, many providers do not usually recommend these therapies, are unaware of the benefits, or do not believe they are beneficial (Koula & Knight, 2018). A nurse may run into issues recommending CAM treatments if the patient’s provider does not support the use of CAM. If a patient wishes to undergo CAM treatments, it is the nurse’s role to advocate for the patient and to ensure the provider cooperates with their requests.
NURS 4005 – Week 5 Discussion – Holistic Care and Treatments
In creating a teaching plan for nurses on the use of yoga and meditation for cancer side effects, the nurse needs to understand the patient’s diagnosis, side effects specific to their treatment regimen, and their physical and psychological ability. The nurse should find out what the patient’s goals are, e.g., pain relief, help with anxiety, and alleviating fatigue. Once the nurse understands the patient’s goals, they can develop a cohesive plan of care to help them achieve positive outcomes. This particular topic is very familiar to me, as I am a cancer survivor – or, as I like to say, cancer. THRIVER! When I was undergoing treatment, my primary nurse was my advocate and played a vital role in my healing, both physically and psychologically. She made every effort to ensure I felt empowered in what could be an extremely overwhelming situation. So, I can relate to many of the difficulties cancer patients face, as well as the importance of the nurse’s role.
References
Calcagni, N., Gana, K., & Quintard, B. (2019). A systematic review of complementary and alternative medicine in oncology: Psychological and physical effects of manipulative and body-based practices. Plos One, 14(10), e0223564. https://doi- org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223564
Koula, M. J., & Knight, J. M. (2018). Increasing provider awareness of and recommendations for yoga and meditation classes for cancer patients. Supportive Care in Cancer, 26(10), 3635– 3640. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1007/s00520-018-4220-3
Wode, K., Henriksson, R., Sharp, L., Stoltenberg, A., & Hök Nordberg, J. (2019). Cancer patients’ use of complementary and alternative medicine in Sweden: a cross-sectional study. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 19(1), 62. https://doi- org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1186/s12906-019-2452-5
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Question 
NURS 4005 – Week 5 Discussion – Holistic Care and Treatments
Identify at least one challenge associated with the nurse’s role in providing alternative therapies for patient care.
Explain how the nurse might integrate the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) approaches in your chosen
What are the main elements you would include in a teaching plan for nurses on the use of CAM in your chosen subtopic?
What is the shared role of the nurse and patient in developing care plans?