Conference Proceedings - School of Nursing & Midwifery - Trinity ...

School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin: 8 th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference
Transforming Healthcare Through Research, Education & Technology: 7 th – 9 th November 2007
Conference Proceedings
meet this government target. Patients in this study suggested that
some of the information they were given was not always applicable
to them and therefore they stopped using these booklets. Others
said that the booklets reminded them of their illness and therefore
they did not use them. Health care professionals need to be realistic
about the amount of patient information given to patients and this
should reflect their actual needs and not their perceived needs.
Section 6 - Complementary therapies
The use of complementary therapies or medicines as an adjunct or
alternative to conventional treatments has increased dramatically
over the past decade. Increasing demand and use of alternative
therapies may be due in part to the changing health and social
needs of our society. The more holistic patterns of care associated
with complementary therapies cater for wide-ranging health needs,
rather than the more mechanistic, mainstream view of diagnosis
and treatment required by people who are ill. Several patients
documented on the DDCs or mentioned in the interviews that they
had used some complementary therapy to help them ‘cope with
their chemo or help combat nausea’. These patients were
predominately female and had a breast cancer diagnosis. This is not
surprising perhaps, as the literature suggests that women are more
likely to seek complementary therapies and the majority are aged
between 30-59 years (Risberg et al 1988). Also, self help and choice
are increasingly emphasised in this group of patients. Those
patients who use alternative therapies were found to be younger
with a higher income, a more positive belief in the alternative
causes of cancer, a strong desire for control and a strong desire to
live (Yates et al 1993).
The exact numbers of complementary therapists and people seeking
complementary therapies are unknown. It is difficult to determine
the number of practitioners owing to the lack of regulatory bodies
and registration details. Likewise, it is impossible to assess how
many people receive complementary therapies because of the lack
of central registries. However, from a patient’s perspective
complementary therapies can generally enhance quality of life and
help counteract the adverse effects of conventional treatment.
Patients who used complementary therapies in this study described
how it made them feel better: ‘It really was very nice, it made me
feel good’
Within the NICE Palliative and Supportive Care guidelines (NICE
2004), cancer networks are being asked to include complementary
therapies as part of the integrated care package for cancer patients.
This is very difficult to cost, as there is scant evidence in the
literature as to the costs and resources needed to provide
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