Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Write a short (50-100-word) paragraph response for each question posed below. Submit this assignment as a Microsoft Word document.
Define CAM.
Describe the patient who uses CAM the most.
List some common misconceptions about CAM.
Identify methods of including the use of CAM in patient education.
Discuss the safe use of CAM.
List ways in which conventional medicine and CAM can be integrated.
Define ethical theories, ethical principles, and values.
Provide examples of ethical issues in patient education and compliance, and describe ways in which an effective professional/patient relationship and a poor health professional/patient relationship can impact these issues.
Explain what is meant by “ethical patient education practices”
Explain the purpose of informed consent.
Discuss what factors determine the patient’s ability to give informed consent.
Compose a sample informed consent form. .
Discuss the process of communication to use with the patient and the family when obtaining informed consent.
Sample Paper
Define CAM
CAM is broadly defined as a wide range of medical practices that are normally considered part of conventional western medical practices. It includes medical practices used together or as alternatives to the mainstream medical practices such as acupuncture, music therapy, meditation, herbal preparations, dietary supplements, among other practices. CAM therapies are not standardized, and therefore how they are applied varies depending on the region they are used (World Health Organization, 2019).
Describe the patient who uses CAM the most
Everyone can use CAM therapies; however, specific populations are more likely to use them than others. CAM is used mostly by people with advanced chronic conditions that might not have been adequately managed. CAM users are also likely to have been diagnosed with more than one health condition. The well-educated are more likely to use CAM therapies than those with lower education levels, which is linked to the level of incomes as the educated are more likely to have higher incomes which enable them to afford CAM therapies. Whites are also more likely to use CAM than individuals from the minority groups; middle-aged individuals use CAM more than the younger and the elderly groups. Women also use CAM more than males (World Health Organization, 2019).
List some common misconceptions about CAM
Some misconceptions about CAM include beliefs that alternative medicine is just as an alternative; the belief is wrong since there are now professional doctors specializing in CAM and collaborating with other care providers to improve the quality of care. Another misconception is that medical institutions are against the use of CAM; some medical institutions recommend their patients use CAM to improve their health status. Health insurers are also covering CAM practices tested, such as acupuncture. It is a misconception that CAM does not work, while the procedures have been researched and shown to have positive impacts on controlling pain and other symptoms; for example, acupuncture has been tested and shown to be effective (Kemppainen et al., 2018).
Identify methods of including the use of CAM in patient education
Care providers should have open discussions with their patients concerning the use of CAM depending on the choices and preferences of the patients. For example, in a patient is interested in using a specific CAM such as dietary, the care provider should consider their health status and drug interactions that can occur, and then discuss with the patient the effectiveness of the CAM providing accurate data on how the patient can safely use the practice. The care provider should maintain an open line of communication to ensure that the patient can always consult with them whenever there is a need or even refer them to care providers that are specifically trained to provide CAM (Kemppainen et al., 2018).
Discuss the safe use of CAM
Similar to other treatments, patients need to consider the safety of CAM. Two aspects, including possible drug interactions and product contamination, should be considered. Patients need to consult with their care provider before using CAM to ensure that there is no risk of negative drug interaction, which can cause their health to worsen. As for products such as herbal preparations, the patient should obtain them from reputable sources to avoid contamination that can cause illnesses (World Health Organization, 2019).
List ways in which conventional medicine and CAM can be integrated
CAM and conventional medicine can be integrated by developing interdisciplinary teams that comprise conventional care providers and those that deal with CAM therapies to work together and develop integrated solutions. Training care providers on available CAM therapies can also integrate the two practices (World Health Organization, 2019).
Define ethical theories, ethical principles, and values
Ethical theories are systematic attempts to define the moral concepts and define the moral obligations that we are responsible for; they mainly define individuals’ moral responsibilities. Ethical principles and values are general judgments that define and justify decisions made in healthcare and are part of the normative theory (Beauchamp & Childress, 2019).
Provide examples of ethical issues in patient education and compliance
An example of an ethical issue is veracity; care providers are required to be honest and reveal all the relevant, verifiable information to the patient to allow them to make informed decisions. Some patients, however, may disagree with the information and even refuse to comply with the instructions. In such cases, positive relationships such as observing patient autonomy and respecting the patient’s views as they try to influence the patient will lead to patient acceptance and compliance with the care provider’s instructions. Negative interactions such as coercing the patient to accept the information and the instructions can cause the patient to rebel and decide not to comply.
Explain what is meant by ethical patient education
Ethical patient education refers to the best practices through which patients can be informed of their health status and the course of action. The practices involve allowing and facilitating open discussion, providing accurate information, and allowing for patient views and responses to influence them to accept and comply with the instruction provided. Ethical patient education should allow patient participation rather than just passing down the information (Akdeniz et al., 2021).
Explain the purpose of informed consent
The purpose of informed consent is to provide all the relevant information to the patient/participants in an appropriate manner to allow them to make the best possible decision as to whether to continue with the treatment or not. It ensures that the patient can consider all the best and worst-case scenarios and makes the best decision whether to have a treatment (Doerr et al., 2019).
Discuss what factors determine the patient’s ability to give informed consent
Some of the factors include voluntariness; patient must not be compelled to make the decision, disclosure; the care provider must provide all the relevant information concerning the treatment procedure, patient competency; the patient must be able to understand all the information provided and have the mental capacity to make a choice, where the patient is unable due to medical conditions or other reasons a surrogate decision-maker should be appointed (Doerr et al., 2019).
Compose a sample informed consent form
Title of study/treatment:
Care provider/investigator details:
Purpose of the treatment/study:
Study/treatment procedures
Risks:
Benefits:
Voluntary Participation: Your participation in this treatment/study is voluntary, and you are free to choose or decline the treatment/participation in the study.
Consent: I have read all the provided information in this form and have asked questions concerning the procedure. I voluntarily agree to take the treatment/participate in the study.
Participant’s signature ______________________________ Date __________
Investigator’s/care provider’s signature ________________ Date __________
Discuss the process of communication to use with the patient and the family when obtaining informed consent.
The initial step includes meeting the patient and their family and verbally explaining all the relevant information concerning the treatment/study, including the purpose, risk, benefits, and other alternatives. Subjects should be allowed ample time to ask questions. The second step should involve providing a written informed consent sheet to the participants and ample time to go through it. This can be an hour or even days. Following the second step, the researcher/care provider should meet with the patients/participants and answer the additional questions. The final step is to obtain a signed agreement from the participant (Doerr et al., 2019).
References
Akdeniz, M., Yardımcı, B., & Kavukcu, E. (2021). Ethical considerations at the end-of-life care. SAGE Open Medicine, 9, 20503121211000918. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20503121211000918
Beauchamp, T., & Childress, J. (2019). Principles of biomedical ethics: marking its fortieth anniversary. The American Journal of Bioethics, 19(11), 9-12. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15265161.2019.1665402
Doerr, M., Moore, S., Barone, V., Sutherland, S., Bot, B. M., Suver, C., & Wilbanks, J. (2021). Assessment of the All of Us research program’s informed consent process. AJOB Empirical Bioethics, 12(2), 72-83. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23294515.2020.1847214
Kemppainen, L. M., Kemppainen, T. T., Reippainen, J. A., Salmenniemi, S. T., & Vuolanto, P. H. (2018). Use of complementary and alternative medicine in Europe: Health-related and sociodemographic determinants. Scandinavian journal of public health, 46(4), 448-455. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1403494817733869
World Health Organization. (2019). WHO global report on traditional and complementary medicine 2019. World Health Organization. https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id
