Cancer Patients' Use of Complementary and Alternative Treatments

• Published in: International journal of caring sciences Vol. 13; no. 2; pp. 1297 - 1304
• Main Authors: Turan, Gulcan Bahcecioglu, Yanmis, Safiye, Oruc, Fatma Gunduz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Nicosia Professor Despina Sapountzi - Krepia Publisher of the International Journal of Caring Sciences 01-05-2020
• Subjects: Age; Alternative medicine; Cancer therapies; Chemotherapy; Chronic illnesses; Data collection; Disease; Hematology; Nurses; Oncology; Patients; Quality of life; Questionnaires; Radiation therapy; Turkey
• ISSN: 1791-5201; 1792-037X

Purpose: This study was conducted as a descriptive study to determine the use of CAT by cancer patients. Method: This study was conducted between January and June 2017 with 250 cancer patients in the oncology and hematology clinic of a university hospital in Turkey. The data were collected using a questionnaire about the patients' demographic characteristics and their use of CAT. The data collected were analyzed using means, percentages and the chi-square test. Results: It was determined that 23.6% of the patients were in the 31-41 age group, 57.2% were female, and 84.4% were married. Of them, 38.2% had completed primary school, 40% were housewives and 66.8% did not smoke. It was also found that 33.6% of the treatment duration was between 6-8 years, 53.6% were in the latter 3 stages of the disease, and 72.4% were accompanied by another chronic illness. Of the participants, 74.8% of the patients had at least one patient with cancer in their family, and 74.8% had received chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment. It was found that 71.2% of the patients use CAT. Marital status and gender were found not to be statistically significant in the use of CAT (p>0.05). Age, occupation, educational status, smoking, duration of treatment, stage of the disease, type of cancer, another accompanying chronic illness, the presence of cancer in the family and the type of treatment were found to be statistically significant in the use of CAT (p<0.05). Conclusions: Nurses should determine the use of CAT in cancer patients because cancer patients frequently use it. Nurses should be educated and counseled about the safe use of CAT for individuals with chronic illnesses, and nursing history forms should contain questions about the use of CAT.