Taiwanese nurses’ attitudes towards and use of complementary and alternative medicine in nursing practice: A cross-sectional survey

Background Increasingly, nurses in Western countries express positive attitudes to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) but lack knowledge, access to education and organisational policy to guide practice. It is unclear whether nurses in developed Asian countries mirror or differ from this profile. Objectives To determine the attitudes towards and use of CAM by registered nurses in Taiwan. Design Cross sectional survey. Setting A Nursing College in eastern Taiwan. Participants Registered nurses (N=170) working in various clinical settings who were studying a post registration Bachelor of Nursing conversion course. Methods Questionnaire distributed to nurses during class time. Results Most nurses had positive attitudes to CAM and most used therapies, like massage, occasionally in practice. However, none had formal qualifications in CAM and most perceived that there were insufficient resources or organisational policy to facilitate practice. Conclusions Taiwanese nurses need more formal education about CAM and require access to clear policies regarding the safe use of CAM in nursing practice.