1. Health professionals' attitudes towards acupuncture/acupressure for post-operative nausea and vomiting: a survey and implications for implementation.
- Author
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Zheng, Zhen, Stelmach, Wanda S, Ma, Jason, Briedis, Juris, Hau, Raphael, Tacey, Mark, Atme, Jeannette, Bourne, Debra, Crabbe, Julie, Fletcher, Catherine, Howat, Paul, Layton, Jenny, and Xue, Charlie C
- Subjects
SURGICAL complication risk factors ,VOMITING -- Risk factors ,NAUSEA -- Risk factors ,PERIOPERATIVE care ,THERAPEUTICS ,MEETINGS ,HEALTH services accessibility ,ATTITUDES of medical personnel ,ACUPUNCTURE ,ATTITUDE (Psychology) ,CROSS-sectional method ,ACUPRESSURE ,HUMAN services programs ,NURSE anesthetists ,OBSTETRICS ,POSTOPERATIVE period ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,HOSPITAL nursing staff ,PUBLIC hospitals ,CHI-squared test ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,SCALE analysis (Psychology) ,RESEARCH funding ,LOGISTIC regression analysis ,DATA analysis software ,EMAIL - Abstract
Purpose: Level 1 evidence supports the use of acupuncture/acupressure (A/A) to manage post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV). This study aimed to survey healthcare professionals' attitudes towards A/A, influencing factors and barriers to implementing this effective non-drug intervention into peri-operative care. Methods: A validated, anonymous survey with 43 questions was emailed or distributed as a hard copy at meetings to anaesthetists, midwives, nurses, obstetricians, gynaecologists and surgeons at a public hospital in Australia. Descriptive data were presented. Influencing factors were explored using chi-square analysis. Multinomial logistical regression was used to identify the influences of confounding factors. Results: A total of 155 completed surveys were returned, reflecting a response rate of 32%. The majority of participants were female (69%), nurses/midwives (61%) and aged between 20 and 50 years old (76%). Eighty-three percent of respondents considered A/A 'clearly alternative' medicine or 'neither mainstream nor alternative'. Eighty-one percent would encourage patients to use acupressure for PONV if it was offered at the hospital. Previous personal use of A/A was the key factor influencing attitudes and openness to clinical use. The key barriers to implementation were perceived lack of evidence and lack of qualified providers and time. Conclusion: Hospital-based healthcare professionals strongly supported the evidence-based use of A/A for PONV despite considering the therapy to be non-mainstream and having limited A/A education or history of personal use, providing a positive context for an acupressure implementation study. Significant gaps in training and a desire to learn were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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