Discussion: Holistic Care and Treatments

The use of complementary and alternative therapies in the treatment of cancer patients, terminal patients, and many other types of patients is steadily increasing. The Resources also contain much information about the various alternative therapies currently being used.

For this Discussion, you will consider alternative therapies and discuss the challenges associated with them.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review the Resources pertaining to alternative therapies.
• Select one of the following areas where alternative therapies are being used:
• Cancer treatment
• Cancer symptom management
• End-of-life care
• Palliative care
• Find at least one scholarly journal article discussing alternative therapies in your chosen subtopic.

By Day 3

Respond to the following:

• Identify at least one challenge associated with the nurse’s role in providing alternative therapies for patient care.
• Explain how the nurse might integrate the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) approaches in your chosen subtopic and discuss the ethical issues nurses may face.
• What are the main elements you would include in a teaching plan for nurses on the use of CAM in your chosen subtopic?
• What is the shared role of the nurse and patient in developing care plans?

Support your response with references from the professional nursing literature.

Note Initial Post: A 3-paragraph (at least 350 words) response. Be sure to use evidence from the readings and include in-text citations. Utilize essay-level writing practice and skills, including the use of transitional material and organizational frames. Avoid quotes; paraphrase to incorporate evidence into your own writing. A reference list is required. Use the most current evidence (usually ≤ 5 years old).