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Is a biopsychosocial–spiritual approach relevant to cancer treatment? A study of patients and oncology staff members on issues of complementary medicine and spirituality

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Abstract

Background

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasingly being used by patients with cancer.

Objectives

Our aim is to compare the attitudes of cancer patients who use CAM to those of nonusers, on issues of CAM, biopsychosocial considerations, and spiritual needs.

Methods

Questionnaires were administered to patients and medical care providers in a tertiary teaching hospital with a comprehensive cancer center.

Results

Forty-nine percent of the study patients reported integrating CAM into their conventional care. Health care providers considered psychological and spiritual needs as major reasons for CAM use, while patients considered the familial–social aspect to be more important.

Conclusions

Cancer patients do not correlate CAM use with spiritual concerns but expect their physicians to attend to spiritual themes. Health care providers involved in oncology cancer care should emphasize spiritual as well as CAM themes. The integration of these themes into a biopsychosocial–spiritual approach may enrich the dialogue between patients and health providers.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thanks Ms. Yael Bruno for conceptualizing the themes of spirituality and CAM and for editing the text; Ms. Idit Lavi for statistical design and workup; and Mrs. Myrna Perlmutter for her help in the preparation of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Complementary and Traditional Medicine Unit, Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel

    Eran Ben-Arye, Moshe Frenkel & Doron Hermoni

  2. Department of Oncology, Rambam Medical Center and Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel

    Gil Bar-Sela & Abraham Kuten

  3. CAM Education Project, Department of Family Medicine, University of Texas, Galveston, TX, USA

    Moshe Frenkel

  4. Complementary and Traditional Medicine Unit, Department of Family Medicine, Clalit Health Services, 6 Hasahaf Street, Haifa, 35013, Israel

    Eran Ben-Arye

Authors
  1. Eran Ben-Arye
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  2. Gil Bar-Sela
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  3. Moshe Frenkel
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  4. Abraham Kuten
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  5. Doron Hermoni
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Correspondence to Eran Ben-Arye.

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Ben-Arye, E., Bar-Sela, G., Frenkel, M. et al. Is a biopsychosocial–spiritual approach relevant to cancer treatment? A study of patients and oncology staff members on issues of complementary medicine and spirituality. Support Care Cancer 14, 147–152 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-005-0866-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-005-0866-8

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