Complementary and alternative therapies (CAT) in academic programs and nursing practice: Is more education is needed?

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Use of CAT has increased in the past decade. However, it is unclear if this has impacted nursing practice. The purpose of this study was to explore CAT use and beliefs of academic and clinical nurses.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional design using an electronic survey was sent to 1000 clinical and academic nurses in the US.

RESULTS

Academic and clinical nurses were more alike than different, and of the contextual factors that impacted CAT use, lack of knowledge was most cited. Faculty were most likely to teach that which they were knowledgeable about and nurses were most likely to use what was taught in school.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a need for a standardized CAT curriculum for schools of nursing in the US to facilitate knowledge and use of CAT, but to also train nurse scientists who can develop the clinical research needed to support practice decisions.