Italian oncology nurses' knowledge of complementary and alternative therapies: national survey

This paper is a report of a study to investigate the knowledge of Italian oncology nurses in relation to complementary and alternative therapies.

In the last decade, the use of complementary and alternative therapies by the general public has increased dramatically. As primary care providers who play a key role in healthcare delivery, it is likely that nurses will be asked about these therapies by their patients. Only if they have an adequate knowledge base, however, can nurses give useful information and counsel patients effectively to allow them to make informed healthcare decisions.

A survey was carried out in 2007 with, 270 nurses registered with the Italian Association of Oncology Nursing. A self-administered questionnaire was used and the response rate was of 57.4% (155/270).

Ninety-four (60.6%) nurses claimed to have knowledge about complementary and alternative therapies. Over two-thirds (60.6%, 57/94) reported that books were a primary source of their knowledge. Other common sources included other healthcare workers (50%, 47/94), the Internet (48.9%, 46/94), workshops and seminars (29.8%, 28/94), and formal nursing education (17.0%, 16/94). Only 5.3% (5/94) reported that professional journals were a source of knowledge. During their professional activities, 71.6% (111/155) of the nurses encountered patients using complementary and alternative therapies, while 47.1% (73/155) treated patients asking for information about these techniques.

The fact that nurses are responding to demands for these therapies without a solid knowledge base makes it imperative that the nursing curriculum be expanded to include these topics.