Inroads to Integrative Health Care: Registered Nurses’ Personal Use of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affects Professional Identity and Nursing Practice

Abstract

Nurses are increasingly using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for relief of personal health issues. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore how nurses' TCM experiences affect nurses' professional identities and practices. Symbolic interaction is the research framework used. Mixed methods of coding facilitate data analysis. Sociological theories explain the findings. The study included 20 semistructured interviews of 10 practicing nurses and 10 faculty members in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. The data provide the basis for several new conclusions. Nursing subspecialty practice norms determine how TCM experience affects nurses' professional identities and nursing practices. Mutable nursing careers enable nurses to incorporate TCM into their nursing ''toolbox.'' Among the significant findings from this study is that nurses try TCM and share that information with others, creating inroads for integration of TCM into Western medicine.Keywords acupressure, acupuncture, CAM use, integrative medicine, moral career, mutable self, nurse, symbolic interaction, traditional Chinese medicine Today, Americans are increasingly using and personally paying for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) (Barnes, Bloom, & Nahin, 2008;Nahin, Barnes, Stussman, & Bloom, 2009). This trend also prevails among registered nurses, which is not surprising because many of the CAM therapies such as massage and healing touch are similar to nursing practice techniques used over the years. What is more interesting is that many venture outside of the more common CAM therapies to try various forms of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that are less well known or understood within Western medical circles. Although scientific studies are underway to prove efficacy of TCM in treating specific medical problems, for the most part, nurses who try TCM are choosing a medical option often considered risky because outcomes largely lack empirical validity.How is it then that registered nurses, trained in Western medicine, are willing to try TCM to treat their personal illnesses? Once having had that experience, how does a nurse's TCM use affect his or her professional identity? Do nurses keep this knowledge private or risk discussing their break from Western medicine with their colleagues, patients, families, and or friends? How do nurses incorporate this information and experience into their nursing practices if at all? This article presents the results of a qualitative case study that explored these questions to learn how use of TCM affected nurses' professional identities and nursing practice.

Iranian healthcare professionals’ knowledge, attitudes, and use of complementary and alternative medicine: a cross sectional study

“…Education is not a one-way process, but is considered as a two-way learning process, in which information is collected and then shared by HP to patient/client, and the patient/client makes the final decision to perform the behavior. Therefore, in the first step, HP should ask the necessary questions from their clients, and then they provide them with appropriate counseling [ 30 , 40 ].…”

Registered Nurses Integrate Traditional Chinese Medicine Into the Triage Process

“…It is known from the literature that patients, family, and friends routinely consult nurses for advice about which type of practitioner to see and/or what type of therapy to use for medical problems (Bertrand, 2009; Brolinson et. al., 2001; Hayes & Alexander, 2000; Hirschkorn & Bourgeault, 2008; King et al, 1999; Rojas-Cooley & Grant, 2009; Tracy et al, 2005; Tracy et al, 2003).…”

“…In this article, I report my findings from a larger qualitative case study of nurses’ personal use of TCM (Bertrand, 2009). In the course of the larger investigation, nurses articulated how they incorporated their personal knowledge of and experience with TCM into their illness assessment and triage process to assist those who asked their advice on TCM use.…”

“…Apparently, oncology nurses were more likely to have engaged in conversations with patients about CAM therapies that the nurses had knowledge of (Rojas-Cooley & Grant, 2009). Variations in nurses’ comfort levels in discussing and making recommendations could be related to differences in nursing subspecialty practice norms, as observed in qualitative studies by Bertrand (2009) and by Hirschkorn & Bourgeault (2008).…”

“…Within a larger study of registered nurses’ personal use of TCM (Bertrand, 2009), I explored how nurses approach situations in which others ask their advice regarding the use of TCM. The larger study focused on how it is that some registered nurses are willing to step outside of Western medicine to try TCM, and how that experience might affect their professional identities and nursing practices.…”