Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Posted: December 21st, 2022

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Author

Affiliation

Course

Tutor

Due Date

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Introduction: (~1 minute)

• Explain what the term complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) means and why nurses should be aware of these options.

CAM are the approaches of health care that are utilized instead of or in addition to conventional medical treatment. Complementary therapies are typically based on traditional awareness (Agarwal, 2018). The scientific evidence implies that some modern health techniques may assist people in handling chronic pain. In many scenarios, the amount of proof is insignificant to indicate whether a specific therapy is safe and appropriate for everyone. Nurses need to understand the options because evidence suggests that they report significant improvement with CAM application.

Agarwal, V. (2018). Complementary and alternative medicine provider knowledge discourse on holistic health. Frontiers in Communication, doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2018.00015

• Explain one challenge associated with the nurse’s role in providing CAM options.

Nurses encounter various constraints in their use of alternative techniques. One of the key limitations of this method is the lack of trained faculty to handle this type of intervention more effectively (Agarwal, 2018). A poorly informed workforce contributes to unsatisfying outcomes and makes it difficult to develop suitable responses to clients’ concerns. Nurses cannot incorporate technology that is part of CAM, which derails the attempts to achieve patient satisfaction.

Agarwal, V. (2018). Complementary and alternative medicine provider knowledge discourse on holistic health. Frontiers in Communication, doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2018.00015

End of Life: (2–3 minutes)

• Explain the difference between hospice and palliative care.

While the goal of both hospice and palliative care is to alleviate symptoms and pain, the objectives of care and prognosis tend to vary. Hospice maintenance entails providing comfort without curative intent because the patient is unlikely to recover from the condition (Dahlin et al., 2019). On the other hand, Palliative attention involves offering relaxation without or with curative intent. Besides, whereas one receives hospice care at home or in similar residences, the palliative care teams usually work in a hospital.

• Describe the role of the nurse leader in caring for patients at the end of life.

Within a hospice or palliative care team, leadership enables all parties to change the attention of patients with fatal and life-threatening conditions. Thus, being a prosperous leader at the end of life implies enhancing the supervision of other affiliates (Dahlin et al., 2019). The steward guides quality-of-life considerations, which are critical at this point. In addition, governance during this phase includes observing autonomy, encouraging teamwork and appreciation. A nurse chief also leads others in being fair, honest, and consistent when attending to a case.  

Dahlin, C., Coyne, P., & Goldberg, J. (2019). Palliative care leadership. Journal of Palliative Care, 34(1), 21-28. doi.org/10.1177/0825859718791427

• Locate at least one resource that describes a CAM option that would be helpful for a patient at the end of life and explain why this option is appropriate.

The most befitting article describing a CAM intervention that would be of significance to a patient at the end of life is Zeng et al. (2018). The paper explores various options but appears to stress aromatherapy, which utilises essential oils and aromatic plant extracts for healing purposes. The alternative is preferable because it helps manage pain, stress, and anxiety. The writing may help learn more about the remedy.

Zeng, Y. S., Wang, C., Ward, E., & Hume, L. (2018). Complementary and alternative medicine in hospice and palliative care: A systematic review. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 56(5), 781-794. doi. 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2018.07.016

Mental Health: (2–3 minutes)

• Explain the impact that the mental health care nurse may have on veterans with mental health issues with regards to patient outcomes.

A mental health care nurse can benefit veterans with mental complications. They play fundamental roles in assessing the patient’s mental condition and focusing on building good communication so that it is easier to administer care (Wemrell et al., 2020). Besides, the practitioners consult with more informed professionals who may give tips on mitigating the issue more appropriately and efficiently. Veterans also gain information on maintaining healthy behavior and when to seek treatment. Overall, the nurses are instrumental in the entire intervention process.

• Locate at least one resource that describes a CAM option that would be helpful for a veteran with mental health issues and explain why this option is appropriate.

An informative article, in this case, is by Wemrell et al. (2020), which illustrates the significance of meditation in addressing mental problems. The authors are confident that the CAM method is effective because it allows affected individuals to improve concentration and focus. Besides, the option is beneficial because it improves self-esteem and self-awareness. Hence, specialists should consider this form as a conceivable therapy.

Wemrell, M., Olsson, A., & Landgren, K. (2020). The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in psychiatric units in Sweden. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 41(10), 946-957. doi.org/10.1080/01612840.2020.1744203

Emerging and Re-Emerging Diseases: (2–3 minutes)

• Describe one emerging or re-emerging disease that the United States has seen in the past five years.

An emerging illness that the country has witnessed in the past half a decade is COVID-19, which broke out in 2019 in Wuhan, China. It is an infectious respiratory condition caused by a developing strain of coronavirus that makes humans ill. Scientists and researchers are still studying and learning about it and believe that the virus originated from animals (Aquilia et al., 2020). The pathogen moves from one individual to the other via infected air droplets emitted during coughing or sneezing. It can also spread when people have contact with infected objects.

• Describe the role of the nurse leader in preventing, addressing, and treating emerging and re-emerging diseases.

The nurse leader plays an essential part in averting, addressing, and treating emerging and re-emerging disorders. The head contributes toward addressing and stopping the problem by creating awareness about preventing further infection (Aquilia et al., 2020). An administrator also aids the treatment procedure by ensuring patients get befitting medication. Thus, nurse leaders are a crucial part of handling COVID-19.

Aquilia, A., Grimley, K., Jacobs, B., & Kosturko, M. (2020). Nursing leadership during COVID-19: Enhancing patient, family and workforce experience. Patient Experience Journal, 7(2), 136-143. doi:10.35680/2372-0247.1482

• Locate at least one resource that describes a CAM option that would be helpful for a patient that has become infected with the disease you selected and explain why that option is appropriate.

Using herbal therapies could be equally effective in avoiding and managing coronavirus. Demeke et al. (2021) – the selected article for this analysis, describe oleandrin as a suitable treatment involving non-pharmacological healing. The choice is advantageous because it helps manage other complications such as depression associated with the respiratory problem. Thus, there is a need to pay more attention to the literature to gain more insight into how to suppress additional infection.

Demeke, C., Woldeyohannis, A., & Kifle, Z. (2021). Herbal medicine use for the management of COVID-19: A review article. Metabolism Open, 12(2), 1-6. doi:10.1016/j.metop.2021.100141

Conclusion (~1 minute)

The analysis provides valuable information that may improve healthcare delivery. It emphasizes the need for practitioners to embrace CAM, making it possible to achieve the targeted aspirations. In addition, it illuminates the differences between hospice and palliative care and explains the role of a nurse leader in this area. The study describes how nurses intervene for veterans with mental complications. Also, part of the writing is about how COVID-19 deserves much attention, particularly from nurse leaders, because the disease is still emerging. Finally, everyone needs to pay attention to the identified issues because that may intensify the probability of achieving remarkable consequences.