Knowledge, attitude, and practice of complementary and alternative medicine: a survey of Iranian nurses.

Background: Development of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) usage makes it necessary for nurses to be up to date about these treatments. However, much information is needed about the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of nurses in this field.

Aims: The present study was conducted to determine the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of CAM in nurses working in Iranian hospitals.

Methods: It was a descriptive study. A researcher-made questionnaire was completed by nurses working in four hospitals. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data.

Results: Two hundred and thirty-three nurses completed the questionnaire (response rate = 83.8%). Most nurses had little knowledge of CAM. The most familiar methods were Nutrition, Massage Therapy and Herbal Medicine. Of the nurses, 71.1% believed that CAM would be effective in disease treatment, showing their positive attitude toward CAM; 1.56% of nurses used CAM, and most nurses did not use CAM in clinical settings.

Conclusions: Although nurses have a positive attitude toward CAM, their knowledge level is low. Regarding nurses' role in patients' treatment and the importance of their capability to treat, the need to increase nurses' knowledge of CAM is felt, and its education should be included in the nursing curriculum.