CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS

The use of complementary and alternative medical care (CAM) by American adults is increasing. The purpose of this project was to explore the use of CAM by parents for their children with chronic health conditions. Few studies have focused on this area. Insight into the factors which lead parents to use CAM for their children may assist Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) as they plan care for their clients. To achieve this purpose, a descriptive design was used for this project, in which the parents of 10 children with chronic health conditions were interviewed. The conceptual framework of the Rogers Diffusion Model provided a guide to identify and characterize factors leading to adoption or rejection of CAM by these families. CAM utilization among parents for their own health care reflected national rates. Even though only one parent had used CAM providers with her child in the past year, the majority had considered using or had used CAM providers in the past for their children who had chronic health conditions. Most parents (80%) currently used self-directed health practices with their children. Factors which attracted parents to CAM and self-directed practices included convenience, cost, observing positive effects in others, fear of side effects of traditional medical treatments, and compatibility with their spiritual or cultural beliefs