An exploration of healthcare providers' experiences and perspectives of Traditional and complementary medicine usage and disclosure by Indigenous cancer patients

A. Gall; K. Anderson; J. Adams; Matthews; G. Garvey

doi:10.1186/s12906-019-2665-7

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An exploration of healthcare providers' experiences and perspectives of Traditional and complementary medicine usage and disclosure by Indigenous cancer patients

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

An exploration of healthcare providers' experiences and perspectives of Traditional and complementary medicine usage and disclosure by Indigenous cancer patients

A. Gall, K. Anderson, J. Adams, Matthews and G. Garvey

BMC complementary and alternative medicine, Vol.19, pp.1-9

18/09/2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-019-2665-7

PMCID: PMC6751784

PMID: 31533782

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Abstract

Integrative & Complementary Medicine

Life Sciences & Biomedicine

Science & Technology

Aboriginal people

Cancer

Cancer care

Complementary medicine

Indigenous medicine

Traditional medicine

Communication

Background Traditional and complementary medicines (T&CM) are any form of medicine, practice, treatment, product, technology, knowledge system or ceremony outside of conventional medical practice that aims to prevent and/or treat illness and/or promote well-being. Alongside conventional cancer treatments, T&CM usage is increasing; with 19% of indigenous Australians with cancer reporting using T&CM. There is limited evidence surrounding T&CM use and disclosure by indigenous patients. Our aim was to explore healthcare providers’ views about usage, disclosure/non-disclosure of T&CM by Indigenous cancer patients. Methods Semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 18 healthcare providers, including three indigenous providers, at a large urban hospital providing care to Indigenous cancer patients were conducted to explore providers’ experiences and attitudes towards T&CM use by Indigenous cancer patients. An interpretive phenomenological approach was used to thematically analyse the data. Results Analysis revealed six themes: concern about risk; no ‘real’ benefits; perception of T&CM and conventional medicine as antithetical; barriers to disclosure; ‘patients’ choice’ a double-edged sword; and providers’ lack of knowledge about T&CM. Healthcare providers perceived discord between T&CM and conventional medicine. Most lacked knowledge of T&CM, and had concerns around negative-interactions with conventional treatments. They considered T&CM outside their role, citing this as reasoning for their lack of knowledge. Indigenous healthcare providers had greater understanding and openness towards T&CM. Conclusions Given the potential usage of T&CM by Indigenous cancer patients, providers need a more comprehensive understanding of T&CM in order to inform discussion and facilitate effective disclosure on this topic. If indigenous Australians with cancer feel that cancer care providers are unreceptive to discussing T&CM, patient care risks being compromised; particularly given the potential for negative interactions between T&CM and conventional cancer treatments. Fostering health care interactions where indigenous patients feel comfortable to discuss T&CM usage should be a priority for all cancer care services.

Details

Title: An exploration of healthcare providers' experiences and perspectives of Traditional and complementary medicine usage and disclosure by Indigenous cancer patients
Creators: A. Gall - Charles Darwin University
K. Anderson - Charles Darwin University
J. Adams - University of Technology Sydney
Matthews - Univ Sydney, Univ Ctr Rural Hlth North Coast, Lismore, NSW, Australia
G. Garvey - Charles Darwin University
Publication Details: BMC complementary and alternative medicine, Vol.19, pp.1-9
Publisher: Springer Nature
Number of pages: 9
Grant note: 1105399 / NHMRC; National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia Strategic Research Partnership to improve Cancer control for indigenous Australians (STREP Ca-CIndA from Cancer Council WA) SRP 13-01 / Strategic Research Partnership to improve Cancer control for indigenous Australians (STREP Ca-CIndA through Cancer Council NSW) FT140100195 / ARC; Australian Research Council 1041111 / Centre of Research Excellence in Discovering indigenous Strategies to improve Cancer Outcomes Via Engagement, Research Translation and Training (DISCOVER-TT CRE) - National Health and Medical Research Council
Identifiers: 991013072612502368
Copyright: © The Author(s). 2019 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Academic Unit: National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

An exploration of healthcare providers' experiences and perspectives of Traditional and complementary medicine usage and disclosure by Indigenous cancer patients

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