Patient-Centered Care Incomplete Without Inclusion of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Autor: Jaibun K. Earp
Rok vydání: 2014
Předmět:
Zdroj: The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. 10:441-442
ISSN: 1555-4155
DOI: 10.1016/j.nurpra.2014.03.011
Popis: IN MY OPINION Jaibun K. Earp, PhD, ARNP As health care and health care systems become more complex in the United States, the words we hear constantly include cost-effectiveness, patient outcomes, safety, quality, and collaborative care, just to name a few. In the article “Americans’ Disconnect Over Health Costs” in Forbes, Lynch and Perosino stated that the average cost of employer-sponsored health insurance is up dramatically from about $9,000 in 2003 to $16,000 in 2013 and that the high cost of health care is taking a toll on many households. Almost 2 in 3 people are concerned about their ability to pay medical bills if they experience a serious health problem. Recently, I attended a conference sponsored by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing; the conference was primarily oriented to presentations and discussions related to safety and quality of care. I can cite numerous other venues where these topics were the main theme. Concerns over health care costs and discussions on quality and safety of health care in these venues are significant. Although we must continue these discussions and find solutions so that the health care Americans receive is of the highest quality and safety in a most cost-efficient manner, one area not being paid attention to is patient centeredness in health care. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not considered mainstream conventional medicine, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. CAM usage is popular in the United States, with more than two thirds of the population having used CAM
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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