Complementary therapies perception of staff working in an Oncology department

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to assess the perception of oncology professionals working at a local state oncology hospital, on the use of complementary therapies (CTs) with conventional cancer treatment by cancer patients. The study also investigated whether these professionals are interested in furthering their education on CTs and explored their views about further integrating these therapies with conventional cancer treatment. Methodology: The study adopted a descriptive, cross-sectional, non-experimental and quantitative research design, with some qualitative aspects. All the accessible population, which consisted of 59 oncology professionals, was included in this study. The data was collected by distributing a self-designed questionnaire developed based on literature findings. Results: The study had a response rate of 61%. Findings indicated that both radiographers and nurses have positive perceptions of CTs whilst oncology doctors presented a more critical approach towards the use of CTs alongside conventional treatment. All of the nurses (100%) and 94.7% of the radiographers were interested in training on CTs, compared to only 16.7% of oncology doctors. Recommendation of CTs to cancer patients was common amongst radiographers and nurses as 63.2% and 81.8% respectively, stated to have recommended CTs to their patients compared to only 16.7% of oncology doctors. Additionally, 94.7% of radiographers and 90.9% of nurses were in favour of incorporating CTs as part of cancer treatment, however, only 16.7% of oncology doctors supported this idea. Conclusions and Recommendations: The study shows that there is the need of more evidence-based research to support the use of CTs in cancer care. Healthcare professionals would benefit from further training on CTs. In particular, oncology doctors need to be more informed about the benefits of these therapies while nurses and radiographers need to be more informed about possible harmful interactions of CTs with conventional therapies.