Attitudes toward and current practice of complementary and alternative medicine in Japanese palliative care units

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) might enhance the quality of life of patients with cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the current practice of CAM in Japanese palliative care units. A 17-item questionnaire was mailed to all 150 certified palliative care units in Japan, 80% of which responded. In total, 75 institutions (64%) provided at least one modality of CAM. Only 33% of the palliative care units surveyed had any regulations about patient usage of CAM, and 42% rejected some types of CAM because they caused difficulties for other patients (34%), required medical procedures (26%), used fire (5%), or required outside practitioners (4%). In total, 92% of surveyed palliative care units had no regulation and actually provided CAM. The obstacles to the use of CAM included the availability of certified practitioners, costs, added responsibilities for staff members, and insufficient evidence of efficacy. We concluded that Japanese palliative care units generally had a positive attitude toward CAM, and were willing to provide this type of therapy to patients.