Summarize in your own words the National Institutes of Health (NIH) definition of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM).
Complementary and alternative medicine, otherwise abbreviated as CAM, refers to the unconventional medical practices, systems, and products that are used in the place of or alongside conventional medical practices (National Institutes of Health, n.d.). Conventional medicine refers to the medical practices that are taught in accredited institutions of higher learning all across the country and the world as a whole, as well as the systems that such practices use to become effective. It is, therefore, with respect and acknowledgment of the conventional medicine that NIH describes the nonconventional CAM treatment. Both roles played by the nonconventional medicine with respect to the conventional one, namely the corresponding one as well as the alternative one are mentioned as part of the name of all nonconventional medical practices.
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Provide reasons for nondisclosure of CAM use among patients.
Some patients who access the conventional medical facilities to access various health services fail to supply information on the use of nonconventional medicine in the past or even at the moment of treatment. The use of the nonconventional medicine is usually to treat the same conditions that they seek conventional treatment for or other conditions but bear the risk of influencing the functionality of the conventional medicine. Some of the reasons that patients have given for not disclosing this information to their health practitioners are as follows. The failure of the doctor to inquire about the use, the belief that the doctors would not understand or that they do not need to know of the use, and some have experienced negative responses from doctors on the use of CAM and hence chose to withhold this vital information.
What Are The Reasons For Using CAM Among Patients? Justify Your Answer Using Examples And Reasoning.
The use of CAM by patients has been attributed to various reasons. The first reason that seems to have significantly contributed to the use of CAM is the pregnancy that comes with the female gender. In a study conducted by NCBI, women are approximately eight times more likely to turn to prayer as a CAM than their male counterparts. Prayer among women appears to be most common during their time of pregnancy but remains significantly high even under other conditions. The contemporary fight against cancer has also contributed significantly to the use of CAM. Many patients who have reported to have tried CAM have been in trying to treat the various forms of cancer. The incurability of cancer in most cases may have driven most of these cancer patients to desperation and hence tried new ways of treatment. Contemporary medicine as it exists right now, does not have an assured curative treatment for cancer (Arthur et al., 2017).
What is the role of the clinical nurse practitioner?
The role of a clinical nurse practitioner can be described as a medical nurse who is qualified to treat patients suffering from certain medical conditions without necessarily being supervised by a qualified medical doctor. From this definition, there are two major roles of a clinical nurse practitioner; the role of a nurse and that of a physician in the case of treating patients with certain medical conditions. When it comes to the role of a nurse, a clinical nurse is mandated with tasks such as the continuous assessment of the patients’ health status as well as the response the patient has to the medical care being provided. Secondly, the nurse is also mandated with the task of ensuring that the patients meet their physical, emotional, social and sometimes spiritual needs. When it comes to the treatment of certain medical conditions, the clinical nurse practitioner is tasked with the role of treating only patients with the conditions that they have higher education and qualification.
Review At Least One Additional Scholarly Research Article That Supports Or Refutes The Claims Made In The Chong Article.
The popularity in the use and belief in the curative powers of CAM calls for the integration of various CAM treatment methods and procedures into the conventional methods of treatment. The Chong article as well as the article by a South African based journal named The Conversation in 2015. The success of therapy relies on the patient’s belief in the procedure almost as much as it rests on the effectiveness of the treatment scientifically. The article shows the need for conventional medical practitioners to incorporate CAM into their treatment routines due to the growth in popularity of the various forms of the latter. The article encourages the formation of a single all-inclusive medical system rather than the divisive conventional and nonconventional medicine that exists today (The Conversation Africa, Inc., 2015)
Compare and contrast the results discussed in each article .
The Conversation article is similar to the Chong article in the encouragement of harmonizing the two medical practices to come up with a way that is beneficial to all the patients. The authors recognize the importance of both practices and try to find a reconcilable position that will ensure that the two healthcare systems ‘win’. The Conversation article is, nevertheless, different from the Chong article as the author does not give a clear procedural outline that should be followed to achieve this goal. The Chong article gives an exhaustive description of the procedures to follow to ensure this process is put into practical use in a medical profession’s manner whereas the Conversation article gives a general description.
References
Arthur, K., Belliard, J., Hardin, S., Knecht, K., Chen, C., & Montgomery, S. (2017). Reasons to Use and Disclose Use of Complementary Medicine Use – An Insight from Cancer Patients . Retrieved 8 August 2017.
Chao, M., Wade, C., & Kronenberg, F. (2008). Disclosure of Complementary and Alternative Medicine to Conventional Medical Providers: Variation by Race/Ethnicity and Type of CAM . nih.gov . Retrieved 8 August 2017.
National Institutes of Health. Complementary and Alternative Medicine - U.S. National Library of Medicine Collection Development Manual . Nlm.nih.gov . Retrieved 7 August 2017.
The Conversation Africa, Inc. (2015). Why alternative medicine should be integrated into conventional health care. The Conversation . Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/why-alternative-medicine-should-be-integrated-into-conventional-health-care-45727
