Within the Discussion Board area, write 250 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas.
Discuss the following:
How important is the inclusion of complementary and alternative health care practices into plans of care?
As a nurse, what can you do to help improve the implementation of these practices?
Consider the following aspects of health care when responding:
Population-based nursing
Insurance coverage of the practices
Affordable Care Act
Evidence-based practice
Patient outcomes
Unit 4 Discussion Board
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Unit 4 Discussion Board
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) refers to healthcare practices and products which are not considered to be part of conventional medicine. CAM includes Ayurveda, Siddha, chiropractic, manual therapy, and acupuncture among others (Baars et al., 2019). The inclusion of complementary and alternative health care practices into plans of care is likely to incorporate patients’ preferences hence giving them the leeway to practice patient autonomy one of the ethical rights in nursing. Nurses as primary care providers have a duty and responsibility to provide health education on the available CAM to manage different health conditions.
An example of how CAM can be utilized is in population-based nursing where the nurses focus on identifying the risk factors affecting certain populations and subsequently designing plans that focus on improving the population’s wellness over time. Populations can be educated on how to use locally available CAM like herbal supplements or other practices like yoga that have been proven to have medical benefit as a proactive measure to maintain positive health outcomes especially if they are exposed to certain health risks.
It is also vital for the nurses to provide information regarding the CAM which is covered by health insurance to facilitate its utilization and at the same time allow the patients to make choices between conventional medicine and CAM. It is important to note that some complementary and alternative medicine treatments have been proven and highlighted under evidence-based practice for the management of various health conditions. They are therefore safe based on the research that has been published as long as they are used under a nurse’s advice. Some patients might opt for CAM if some conventional treatment has previously not worked effectively since the goal of treatment would be to improve patient outcomes.
Reference
Baars, E. W., Zoen, E. B. V., Breitkreuz, T., Martin, D., Matthes, H., Schoen-Angerer, T. V., … & Huber, R. (2019). The contribution of complementary and alternative medicine to reduce antibiotic use: a narrative review of health concepts, prevention, and treatment strategies. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2019.