Topic > The Development of Integrative Health Care - 657

The development of integrative health care as complementary forms of therapy with conventional Western medicine has created a trend in some cancer treatment centers. Few research studies have been conducted to evaluate the impact of an integrative approach to health care, so Brazier, Cooke, and Monravan, 2008, studied the Vancouver, British Columbia, integrative cancer care program at the Center for Integrated Healing, using a mixed-method case study to evaluate the effect of lifestyle, quality of life, and overall well-being for cancer treatment program participants. 46 English-speaking adults with a confirmed diagnosis of cancer took part in the study. Participants took part in a 2-day workshop as an introduction to learning healing theories and how to support the mind, body and spirit. Participants also had two 90-minute sessions with the Center's doctors, a complementary doctor, and additional 30-minute follow-up visits. Reliable and valid pre- and post-quantitative surveys were administered at 3 separate time points to establish a baseline before participating in the program, then at 6 weeks, and then at 5 months, to collect data, measure quality of life, social support , anxiety and depression, a place of control and hope. Qualitative data was also collected using focus groups and individual interviews. The case study did not contain any control group. The final results revealed no quantitative statistical significance, but quality of life and social support scored high at the start of the test and did not decrease, and hope increased with time, but was not significant. Anxiety and depression within normal limits decreased but were not statistically significant. The qualitative findings created a theme among participants, with...... half of the paper ...... outlining the impact of future studies on participants in an integrative health care program. As trends continue in the healthcare field, future studies can emulate this case study to improve future statistics. I would like to use mixed methods in my research because I am trying to address the impact of dietary change on health behavior change. Addressing qualitative and quantitative data allows my research to provide clinical statistics using anthropometric measurements and also to use individual interviews as a way to collect subjective data where laboratory values ​​and tests do not always fail to measure or capture sufficient information. Works Cited Brazier, A., Cooke, K., & Moravan, V. (2008). Using mixed methods to evaluate an integrative approach to cancer care: a case study. Integrative cancer therapies, 7(1), 5-17. doi: 10.1177/1534735407313395