Registered Nurses Integrate Traditional Chinese Medicine Into the Triage Process

Abstract

People in the United States often consult registered nurses (nurses) for advice when they want to explore alternatives to Western medicine, such as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Nurses find themselves confronting dilemmas when they are caught between these radically different worlds of medical cultures and thinking. Twenty Minnesota nurses were interviewed to learn how they integrate TCM into their triage process. Symbolic interactionism was the research framework used, and mixed coding methods facilitated data analysis. Several sociological theories explain the findings. The major finding is that nurses use a four-step triage process that begins from the Western medical perspective and includes consideration of TCM use. Nurses' recommendations are influenced by their situational roles and relationships, and by the cues they read from the person who is asking their advice. The results point to nurses being natural disseminators of TCM information and education in their resource role for others making health care decisions.

Integration of acupuncture into conventional medicine from health professionals’ perspective: A thematic synthesis of qualitative studies

“…Due to the conception of acupuncture as a supplement to Western medicine, some participants considered it as an alternative. We found no evidence of the perception that acupuncture could replace Western medicine, but rather that the term alternative was used to refer to the possibility of reinforcing conventional medicine (Bertrand, 2012;Bishop et al, 2012;Hsiao et al, 2006;Schroer et al, 2009).…”

“…Acupuncture was also used as support during pregnancy and childbirth (Cant et al, 2011) and before and after surgery (Schiff et al, 2012). Regarding the country of origin, five studies were conducted in the United Kingdom (Adams, 2001;Bishop et al, 2012;Cant et al, 2011;Hughes et al, 2006;Schroer et al, 2009), three in Germany (Joos et al, 2008;Frank and Stollberg, 2004;Berger et al, 2012), two in Norway (Johannessen, 2009(Johannessen, , 2011, two in Australia (Grace and Higgs, 2010;Raynera et al, 2011) and two other studies in the United States (Bertrand, 2012;Hsiao et al, 2006). Israel, Denmark, Canada and Switzerland only provided one study each to this review (Marian et al, 2006;Schiff et al, 2012;Verhoef et al, 2010).…”

“…No studies carried out in Mediterranean countries were found. Concerning the characteristics of the sample, six articles merely included the viewpoint of physicians (Adams, 2001;Frank and Stollberg, 2004;Joos et al, 2008;Marian et al, 2006;Raynera et al, 2011;Schroer et al, 2009), three of nurses (Bertrand, 2012;Johannessen, 2009Johannessen, , 2011 and nine comprised different health-related professionals (Berger et al, 2012;Bishop et al, 2012;Cant et al, 2011;Grace and Higgs, 2010;Hansen, 2012;Hsiao et al, 2006;Hughes et al, 2006;Schiff et al, 2012;Verhoef et al, 2010). Among the nine studies which included the point of view of different health-related professionals, eight compared the perspectives between health professionals and CAM practitioners with non-conventional health-related training (Berger et al, 2012;Bishop et al, 2012;Grace and Higgs, 2010;Hansen, 2012;Hsiao et al, 2006;Hughes et al, 2006;Schiff et al, 2012).…”

“…Some health professionals stated that acupuncture completes conventional medicine by adding something that cannot be provided by Western medicine. Accordingly, acupuncture was perceived as a supplement that covers the effectiveness gap of conventional treatments and possible contraindications (drug allergies, adverse effects, polypharmacy, pregnancy) (Bertrand, 2012;Cant et al, 2011;Schroer et al, 2009). In the view of participants, acupuncture also compensates conventional medicine shortages providing preventive and individualistic treatments, a patientcentred approach (Berger et al, 2012;Bishop et al, 2012;Joos et al, 2008) and other reasons of the health-illness process which include social, emotional and spiritual dimensions of human beings (Johannessen, 2009(Johannessen, , 2011Schroer et al, 2009).…”

Attitude, Knowledge, and Practice on Evidence‐Based Nursing among Registered Nurses in Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospitals: A Multiple Center Cross‐Sectional Survey in China

“…According to the official data of the year 2009, there were 440.7 thousand different levels of medical service institutions providing TCN, and the data of the year 2011 showed that 1.86 million registered nurses (RN) worked in those institutions [ 9 ]. With the increasing acceptance of TCM in the western countries, nurses in the United States tend to disseminate TCM information and education to patients [ 10 ]. And some overseas nursing schools began to send students to China to learn TCN [ 11 ].…”