Integrative Care Training Program for Nurses on Supportive Cancer Care

The integration of complementary medicine in supportive and palliative cancer care (i.e., Integrative Oncology) is becoming more prevalent in many of the leading oncology centers in Israel and worldwide. Guidelines for these practices, as established by the Society for Integrative Oncology, were adopted in 2018 by the American Society of Clinical Oncology. The proposed study will be conducted within a pragmatic, randomized and controlled format, and will examine the impact of a nurse-guided intervention on 540 oncology patients undergoing Integrative Oncology treatments for quality of life (QOL)-related concerns during adjuvant/neo-adjuvant or curative/palliative treatments. Patients in both study arms will undergo patient-tailored integrative treatments, which will include manual and relaxation therapies, acupuncture and lifestyle changes. The integrative treatments will be provided by trained integrative oncology practitioners. Patients in the intervention arm of the study will receive additional nurse-guided instruction in the self-administration of manual therapies, relaxation, lifestyle changes and traditional medicine practices.