What is your experience with patients using CAM to relieve the symptoms of chronic or life-limiting illness?
Is use of CAM frequent, occasional or rare in your experience? List a few examples.
In your experience, what are the main reasons for CAM use?
In your experience, what CAM therapies are used most frequently?
How comfortable are you with referring for and monitoring CAM? What else do you need to know?
© 2016 University of Washington | School of Nursing | L&IT Learning Technologies | Palliative Care Training Center | National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 1R21NR010896-02A2.
Main reasons for CAM use near end of life
| 51.4% | to relieve pain and other symptoms |
| 15.6% | to slow disease and/or prolong life |
| 5.5% | in the hope or expectation of cure |
| 27.5% | a combination of these reasons |
% of CAM users who used each modality1
| Massage | 56.9% |
| Herbs/Herbal medicine | 35.1% |
| Lifestyle diets | 26.2% |
| Relaxation techniques | 22.6% |
| Megavitamins | 19.6% |
| Acupuncture | 6.6% |
| Other nontraditional therapies | 32.2% |