Family strategies for managing childhood cancer: using complementary and alternative medicine in Jordan

AIM: This paper is a report of a study that examined the use of complementary and alternative medicine therapies among children with cancer in Jordan. BACKGROUND: Complementary and alternative medicine use by oncology patients has been gaining acceptance in the developed countries and developing countries. Healthcare professionals are becoming increasingly aware that patients use complementary and alternative medicine either covertly or overtly. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used with parents of children with cancer under treatment and follow-up in a paediatric oncology department in Jordan between August 2007 and April 2008. RESULTS: Parents of 69 children with cancer in Jordan were surveyed for their use of complementary and alternative medicine with their children. A total of 65.2% of the sample had used at least one type of complementary and alternative medicine during the course of their child's treatment. The use of biological and nutritional complementary and alternative medicine was 70.5% among the users. Use of body and soul complementary and alternative medicine strategies was reported for 22.2% of the children using complementary and alternative medicine. Twenty per cent of the sample used body movement complementary and alternative medicine for their children. A total of 45.5% of complementary and alternative medicine users perceived benefits in using complementary and alternative medicine for their children with cancer. However, 40% of complementary and alternative medicine users had stopped using complementary and alternative medicine for multiple reasons. CONCLUSION: Parents used complementary and alternative medicine to support their children's medical treatment and to use all possible methods to cure their children. The reason for parents not using complementary and alternative medicine included not being aware of complementary and alternative medicine. Most of the patients have not discussed the issue of using complementary and alternative medicine with the medical staff.