Review and reflect on the knowledge that you have gained from this course. Based on your review and reflection, write at least 3 paragraphs on the following:
What were the most compelling complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) topics learned in this course?
How did participating in discussions help your understanding of the subject matter? Is anything still unclear that could be clarified?
How did the content in this course build upon your prior knowledge for your pre-licensure nursing program?
What approaches could have yielded additional valuable information?
How will your new CAM knowledge change your future nursing practice?
The main post should include at least 1 reference to research sources, and all sources should be cited using APA format.
Unit 5 Discussion Board
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Unit 5 Discussion Board
This course has provided a wide range of insights about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Some of the compelling CAM topics that I have learned include energy medicine, mind-body medicine, manipulative and body-based practices, and biologically-based practices. Participating in discussions regarding complementary and alternative medicine helped me gain knowledge regarding the subject matter. I was able to understand the different types of CAM and their uses in managing patient care. Similarly, I was able to understand why patients prefer CAM to conventional medicine with some of the reasons being affordability, easy access, traditions and cultural beliefs, and dissatisfaction with conventional medicine (Tangkiatkumjai et al., 2020). The course, therefore, made me develop an open mind regarding the use of CAM considering that there exists evidence on some of the CAM therapies having a positive impact on the patients’ health.
The content in this course has built upon my prior knowledge of the pre-licensure nursing program. I have discovered the various CAM domains which healthcare practitioners can pursue. It is important to note that populations have continually accepted and utilized CAM to improve their health statuses. Besides the use of CAM as an alternative to conventional medicine, most CAM users believe that it helps in achieving a holistic treatment effect (Kristoffersen et al., 2018).
Besides lectures, discussion groups, and course textbooks, I think that interactions with the providers of complementary and alternative medicine would have yielded additional valuable information. The interactions would have enabled me to gather more information about their experiences as well as those of the patients.
My new CAM knowledge will change my future of nursing practice by incorporating it into the patient’s care plan. I will encourage more patients to embrace CAM for their health.
References
Kristoffersen, A. E., Stub, T., Musial, F., Fønnebø, V., Lillenes, O., & Norheim, A. J. (2018). Prevalence and reasons for intentional use of complementary and alternative medicine as an adjunct to future visits to a medical doctor for chronic disease. BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 18(1), 1-8.