Nurses' awareness and perceptions of complementary therapies as a means of pain management in paediatric

Abstract

There is a definite lack of research in the area of complementary therapies as a means of pain management in paediatrics, especially with regard to nurses' perception and awareness. Therefore the purpose of this study was to examine nurses' perceptions and awareness of complementary therapies as a means of pain management in paediatrics. A questionnaire was used to collect qualitative and quantitative data from 17 nurses working in the medical and surgical paediatrics wards. The response rate was 94%. The results showed that although the nurses had a fair awareness of the complementary therapies, their implementation was limited due to barriers. The nurses felt that family involvement was an important and effective means of pain management although sometimes overlooked. Finally the nurses felt the need for training in the use of complementary therapies as pain management since this is not yet available.