Co-Chairs: Asha Devereaux, MD, MPH & Anna Breiburg, APRN,BC, RRT
Who we are:
The ATS Integrative Interest Group is an inter-multidisciplinary collaborative group with primary interests in exploring ways of incorporating Integrative Therapy in a safe and effective manner for patients with Pulmonary Conditions.
Approximately 36% of American adults use various types of Integrative therapies (IT) to complement their mainstream health care practices (Clarke TC et al., 2015). The preliminary data conducted by the National Center for Integrative Primary Health Care (NCIPH) indicate that even among healthcare professionals currently licensed in complementary and alternative medicine education programs, their IT knowledge is inadequate (publication in progress). A third (33.7%) of participants rated their knowledge of IT to be high-very high, the majority of respondents (39.5%) rated their knowledge to be moderate, and 23.6% rated as “a little.” The Integrative Therapy Needs Assessment Survey of ATS clinicians in May 2016 revealed this similar trend in the knowledge gap. Clinicians’ understanding of Integrative Therapy’s use, safety profile, and effectiveness is crucial to their ability to provide appropriate advice and guidance for safe care.
Because our patients are using Integrative Therapies, there is a need to develop basic expertise among healthcare professionals in how to openly and compassionately discuss this topic with patients. Additionally, we need to develop a research advocacy forum advocating for research methodology suitable for rigorous scientific study of Integrative Therapy. Our main objective is to facilitate the process of holistic, patient-centered care that promotes communication and collaboration among patients with pulmonary/sleep/and critical illness, their clinicians, and family members through the proper implementation of Integrative Therapy.
Objectives:
- To create Patient Education Guidelines in the implementation of the most common Integrative Therapies for Pulmonary conditions: use, benefits, and safety profile
- To educate health care professionals in the current scientific evidence about Integrative Therapies
Resources:
- Patient Education Information Series: Mindfulness for those with COPD, Asthma, Lung Cancer and Lung Transplantation
- Patient Education Information Series: Integrative Medicine (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) for the Lungs
- Websites for Integrative Therapies
