Literature Review On Evidence Based Practice

Many people will experience many physical factors such as pain and mobility problems, some individuals may feel that it’s best to take orthodox medicines which are the best pain relief or option for them, this includes treatments such as paracetamol and ibuprofen. However, some people might have side effects from medicines, therefore they choose to have alternatives, such as, massage and acupuncture. This means that pain can be taken away without any side

These complementary therapies would benefit the individual with the disorder they have. Although, these complementary therapies may not be able to cure the individuals cancer but it would be able to support the individual with the treatments they may have. The role of the complementary therapy reflexology would be to massage the individuals feet which would make them feel at ease and although they might be unaware of the different areas of their body being affected, through the reflexology they will be able to identify any areas that might have been affected due to the disorder. For example, if an individual describes that they might feel a sharp feeling this would suggest that the individual’s body might be out of balance.

One area that has had many studies conducted regarding the effects reflexology is Cancer treatment. The role of complementary therapy in this instance is to help manage a client’s symptoms that they may be experiencing from the aggressive cancer treatment. In 2000 Hodgson found using 12 patients who were in the palliative stage of cancer that there was 100% improvement in many areas of the lives of the participants within the group who were given reflexology, whereas the participants within the placebo group only reported an improvement of 67.6% within the same categories. The categories included their general mood, pain, mobility, tiredness, constipation, concentration and nausea.

A study was done on the effectiveness of a collaborative approach with pain on the veterans through the use of complementary and alternative medicines. They were interested in whether the veterans with chronic pain were using complementary and alternative medicine treatments as demonstrated in the general population. The researchers wanted to find out which complementary and alternative medicines was most appealing to the veterans. The article written by Fletcher, et., al (2016), the hypothesis was implied on how complementary and integrative health therapies used massages as an effective way to manage noncancerous pain. A study was done to examine the experience, knowledge, and opinions of veterans receiving massage therapy and complementary and integrative health. Massages is the dependent variable, in which can help provide a form of distraction or relaxation for the veteran.

Pain is one of the most common and feared complications of cancer. It is exacerbated by stress, anxiety, fatigue, and malaise which accompany advanced cancer. Pain is generally absent in the early stages of cancer, but it is a significant factor as the illness progresses to advanced stages. Cancer-associated pain can arise from a variety of direct and indirect mechanisms including direct pressure, obstruction, and invasion of a sensitive structure, stretching of visceral surfaces, tissue destruction, infection, and inflammation (McCance 2010). Pain is generally accepted as whatever the patient says it is, wherever the patient says it is. Treatment of pain and its associated symptoms is a primary responsibility of the healthcare team. Treatment modalities for pain include the use of opioid analgesics, patient-controlled analgesia, psychological interventions, and preventing recurrence of pain. Reinforcing the reporting of pain by the patient is important, as is a respect for the social and cultural differences with respect to pain perception.

The purpose of this essay will be to discuss evidence based practise and its use in nursing, I will be discussing, the types of research and various forms of data, including the principles of evidence based practise and research. Evidence Based practice is finding the most effective, research proven, evidence to make decisions regarding the service users individual needs and the best decisions for them. As David Sackett quotes, "evidence based practise is the integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values." (Sackett D, et al 1996, p.71) Evidence based practice is good practice, assist practitioners, avoiding information overload and applying the most useful information.

Pain, which is defined in its widest sense as an emotion which is the opposite of pleasure (White, 2004, p.455), is one of the major symptoms of cancer, affecting a majority of sufferers at some point during their condition (De Conno & Caraceni, 1996, p.8). The World Health Organization (WHO, 2009, online) suggests that relief from pain may be achieved in more than 90 percent of patients;

Complementary therapies are good for a person’s health and wellbeing. It is used as a form of medicine and treatment to some illnesses. Complementary therapies can be used to help the individual manage pain and help relieve pain. According to NHS Direct “These medicines and treatments range from acupuncture and homeopathy to aromatherapy, meditation and colonic irrigation.”

Marion Good, PhD, RN, has focused her study, “A Middle-Range Theory of Acute pain Management: Use in Research,” on complementary medicine for pain and stress, acute pain, and stress immunity. The purpose of this theory is to put into practice guidelines for pain management. Good, 1998, noted the need for a balance between medication usage and side effects of pain medications. The theory also promoted patient education related to pain management following surgery and encouraged plan development for acceptable levels of pain management. This theory was developed through deductive reasoning. Chinn & Kramer, 2008, defined deductive reasoning as going from a general concept to a more specific concept.

A study was conducted on 1,290 patients that were undergoing cancer treatments. The same symptoms were reported in the previous study by the patients. Pain and fatigue were the number one complaints. Fifty percent of these patients underwent massage therapy during the course of their cancer treatments. They reported back to the hospital as having an immediate drop in their symptoms without having to use pharmalogical interventions. Just doing the massage therapy alone increased their overall tolerance of the chemo therapy and minimized their need to use the medications prescribed to them (Cassileth, Keefe,

Throughout our clinical experiences, almost every patient that we have had reported some sort of pain. Pain medications are often over-prescribed and over-used and can often do more harm than good. People do need pain medications in certain circumstances, but we wanted to research other methods for patients to manage pain. Therapeutic touch can offer a variety of benefits including pain management. A majority of the adult population experiences pain on a daily basis. If more people knew about therapeutic touch and using it for a pain management technique, patients could feel better while not using pharmacological management. Though there are many other ways therapeutic touch can be used, we researched the effects it has on pain management.

Incorporate non-pharmacological complementary and alternative treatments with conventional medicine to treat complex chronic pain conditions as a collaborative and integral part of the health care system.

Many patients with OA opt complementary treatments (e.g., massage, relaxation techniques) in an effort to manage OA- related symptoms. This could be because of limited symptom relief from conventional therapies, as well as a belief that complementary treatments are free from adverse effects. However, the efficacy and safety of these interventions are not defined well. (Shengelia, Parker, Ballin, & Reid, 2014). Use of CAM modalities for chronic musculoskeletal disorders, such as OA, is primarily to alleviate associated discomfort and disability, and approximately 50%of patients with chronic musculoskeletal disorders reported using CAM modalities.(Chyu et al., 2011)

Today, around 70 million Americans are affected by chronic pain, whether it be chronic headaches, back pain, abdominal pain, joint pain, or musculoskeletal pain, in general. (treatment of chronic medical conditions). For many, conventional rehabilitation therapy has proven to be an effective form of treatment, but for some, not so much. In these types of cases, doctors refer their patients to alternative forms of medicine, such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, meditation, or hypnosis (principles and practice of pain medicine). One of the more popular types of alternative medicine among researchers and medical professionals is acupuncture.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is becoming more frequently integrated with traditional medicine, however, the efficacy of CAM on the psychosocial and physical well-being of patients receiving palliative care is still being investigated. CAM improves palliative care for Canadians by enhancing communication, therapeutic relationships, well-being, and provides older adults with a higher holistic perspective. Nursing practice also benefits from identifying complementary therapies because this medicine is feasible,