Complementary and integrative medicines methods used by internal medicine and surgical clinic nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: This study is a descriptive study conducted to investigate the use of Complementary and Integrative Medicines (CIM) among internal medicine and surgical clinic nurses in the COVID-19 pandemic period. Materials and methods: The study sample consisted of 1112 nurses working at the internal medicine and surgical clinics of a hospital in eastern Turkey. The data were collected between November 2020 and February 2021 by using a Nurse Identification Form and a Questionnaire Form for Complementary/Integrative Treatment. Ethics board approval and institutional permission were obtained. Results: It was determined that 55.2% of the participants used at least one of the CIM methods, the most frequently used method was herbal treatment-phytotherapy (96.7%), and the least frequently used method was homeopathy (3.1%). On CIM usage, the having received CIM training (β=0.395), high levels of perceived danger regarding the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on health (β=0.321), high levels of perceived infection probability (β=0.249), high levels of concern about being in crowded places (β=0.187), high levels of concern about getting the infection in oneself and/or family members (β=0.262) and being at the ages of 40-50 (β=0.116) had predictive effects. Conclusions: It was determined that the majority of the nurses used CIM methods in the COVID-19 pandemic process, and they preferred herbal treatment most. To prevent a negative outcome that may potentially be caused by a CIM method that is used, it is recommended to provide nurses with training on CIM use for the COVID-19 pandemic.