Nurses' attitudes and behaviour towards patients' use of complementary therapies: A mixed methods study

To explore Registered Nurses' attitudes and behaviour towards patients' use of complementary therapies.

Despite high rates of use of complementary therapies by the general population, little is known of how nurses respond to patients' use of these therapies.

A two-phase sequential exploratory mixed methods design.

Nineteen Registered Nurses working in Australia participated in a semi-structured interview in 2015-2016 and emerging themes informed the development of a quantitative survey instrument administered online nationwide in 2016.

Emerging key themes "Promoting safe care"; "Seeking complementary therapies knowledge";" Supporting holistic health care"; and "Integrating complementary therapies in practice" were reflected in survey results. Survey responses (N = 614) revealed >90% agreement that complementary therapies align with a holistic view of health and that patients have the right to use them. Most nurses (77.5%) discussed complementary therapies with patients and 91.8% believed nurses should have some understanding of the area. One-third did not recommend complementary therapies and there was a lack of overall consensus as to whether these therapies should be integrated into nursing practice. Nurses with training in complementary therapies held more positive views than those without.

Nurses were generally supportive of patients' interest in complementary therapies, although their primary concern was safety of the patient. Despite broad acceptance that nurses should have a basic understanding of complementary therapies, there was a lack of consensus about recommendation, integration into nursing practice and referral. Further research should explore how nurses can maintain safe, patient-centred care in the evolving pluralistic healthcare system.