Integrative Health Therapies Research Articles

Perceptions of other integrative health therapies by Veterans with pain who are receiving massage.

Veterans are increasingly using complementary and integrative health (CIH) therapies to manage chronic pain and other troubling symptoms that significantly impair health and quality of life. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is exploring ways to meet the demand for access to CIH, but little is known about Veterans' perceptions of the VA's efforts. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted interviews of 15 inpatients, 8 receiving palliative care, and 15 outpatients receiving CIH in the VA. Pain was the precipitating factor in all participants' experience. Participants were asked about their experience in the VA and their opinions about which therapies would most benefit other Veterans. Participants reported that massage was well-received and resulted in decreased pain, increased mobility, and decreased opioid use. Major challenges were the high ratio of patients to CIH providers, the difficulty in receiving CIH from fee-based CIH providers outside of the VA, cost issues, and the role of administrative decisions in the uneven deployment of CIH across the VA. If the VA is to meet its goal of offering personalized, proactive, patient-centered care nationwide then it must receive support from Congress while considering Veterans' goals and concerns to ensure that the expanded provision of CIH improves outcomes.

Improving Patient-Centered Care: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Prior Use and Interest in Complementary and Integrative Health Approaches Among Hospitalized Oncology Patients.

To describe cancer inpatients' prior-year use of complementary and integrative health (CIH) therapies and interest in receiving CIH therapies while in the hospital. Observational, cross-sectional survey of prior-year use of 12 different CIH approaches and interest in receiving any of 7 CIH services in the hospital. Surgical oncology ward of an academic medical center. 166 hospitalized oncology patients, with an average age of 54 years. The most commonly used CIH approach was vitamins/nutritional supplements (67%), followed by use of a special diet (42%) and manual therapies (39%). More than 40% of patients expressed interest in each of the therapies if it was offered during their hospital stay, and 95% of patients were interested in at least one. More than 75% expressed interest in nutritional counseling and in massage. CIH use and interest varied somewhat by demographic and clinical characteristics. Rates of CIH use among patients with cancer were high, as were their preferences to have these services available in the inpatient setting. Hospitals have the opportunity to provide patient-centered care by developing capacity to provide inpatient CIH services.

Comparison of Integrative Health Therapies as Related to Pain and the Influence of Sleeping Patients as Missing Data

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary MedicineVol. 20, No. 5 Research MethodologyComparison of Integrative Health Therapies as Related to Pain and the Influence of Sleeping Patients as Missing DataRachael Rivard, Kristen Haven, Jill Johnson, and Jeff DusekRachael RivardSearch for more papers by this author, Kristen HavenSearch for more papers by this author, Jill JohnsonSearch for more papers by this author, and Jeff DusekSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:7 May 2014https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2014.5361.abstractAboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail View article"Comparison of Integrative Health Therapies as Related to Pain and the Influence of Sleeping Patients as Missing Data." The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 20(5), pp. A134–A135FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 20Issue 5May 2014 InformationCopyright 2014, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.To cite this article:Rachael Rivard, Kristen Haven, Jill Johnson, and Jeff Dusek.Comparison of Integrative Health Therapies as Related to Pain and the Influence of Sleeping Patients as Missing Data.The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.May 2014.A134-A135.http://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2014.5361.abstractPublished in Volume: 20 Issue 5: May 7, 2014PDF download