1 Running head: NURSING INFORMATICS Nursing Informatics Student’s Name Institution 2 NURSING INFORMATICS Nursing Informatics The clinical question in this article is ‘In Rheumatoid Arthritis, do alternative treatments like acupuncture, aromatherapy, and copper bracelets work to alleviate symptoms and overall joints damage?’ In doing the research for this article, various sources are used to obtain data. These include scholarly articles, medical libraries and online journals. These give various outlooks on rheumatoid arthritis and how it is managed. (Olsen, 2015) To get more information on the alternative methods of managing the disease, there are various databases which give information on the same. These sources include scholarly articles and medical journals and various books written by different people. While searching for acupuncture, the article ‘Arthritis Research UK’ proved a very important source which analyses various alternative methods including acupuncture, herbal medicine, aromatherapy and copper bracelets. It also gives valuable insight to anyone considering the options. In nursing, the article helps one to understand the treatments and possibly eliminate any biases one might have. Another article ‘Arthritis Foundation’ relates how research has proved that alternative methods work. It has rated acupuncture as one of the most effective method of treatment. Another source of information is from medical journals. One journal from WebMD offers useful insight into natural medicines and recommends their use to relieve pain. The key words used to research are words like rheumatoid arthritis for one to get information on the issue one is researching on. The other key words are alternative medicine, arthritis and acupuncture. Once the information is got, the various alternative medicine treatments are highlighted for more information. In other medical journals for example, the explanation of what 3 NURSING INFORMATICS Rheumatoid Arthritis is given so as to have a back ground of the disease one want to advance their knowledge on. Rheumatoid Arthritis has no cure and so it is good to find out if the claims of the alternative medicines are true and how far one can apply or advise safely. According to an article written by William C Shiel, Rheumatoid arthritis is disease that affects the joints and other body areas by chronically inflaming them. Its signs and symptoms include pain in the joints of the hands and feet, knees and ankles which may swell, walking with a limp, loss of movement characterized by stiff joints, feeling tired, having deformities in the joints and so on. The disease is chronic and tends to have flares and then goes on remission. More information is needed so as to know if the alternative medicines can offer a lasting solution or work towards offering permanent relieve to the patients. Once these databases are found, it is important to highlight the alternative methods and compare how articles differ from each other. For example one article says that acupuncture should be considered and incorporated in the conventional medicine due to its effectiveness in managing the disease more work needs to be done. From the information got about the alternative medicine, one is able to advise the patient and answer their questions regarding the same. For example in acupuncture, fine needles are inserted in joints on the skin tissue. The needles are stimulated using the heat from a dried herb called moa or using electric current and the needles are left on the patient for some time. The needles are very fine and the patients rarely experience pain. (Soeken, 2014) Acupuncture alters pain sensations sent to the brain from the painful tissues and then stimulates one’s body hormones which relieve pain like endorphins and encephalin. This is 4 NURSING INFORMATICS useful for patients with severe joint pains which resist traditional medicines. When such information is learned one is able to offer a patient an alternative. Other methods such as copper bracelets, herbal medicine use and aromatherapy are the examples alternative methods. The articles also feature the effectiveness of the methods and how one can apply them to manage the disease. In view of the above, informatics would play a very important role in nursing as it helps one apply wisdom from the knowledge on has acquired. This is because one has acquired knowledge that can help in a certain stressful or uncertain situation with regard to the condition described above. By using informatics wisdom, one can be assured that what one is offering or suggesting is safe and ethical. The informatics can also help one to offer valuable insight into a situation that is uncertain by being able to pull specific reports to support reflection and discovering knowledge. Informatics is a useful tool in the nursing practice. (Lipsky, 2013) 5 NURSING INFORMATICS References Lip sky, P. E., van der Heidi, D. M., St. Clair, E. W., First, D. E., Breaded, F. C., Kaleen, J. R., ... & Harriman, G. R. (2000). Infliximab and methotrexate in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. New England Journal of Medicine, 343(22), 1594-1602. Olsen, N. J., & Stein, C. M. (2004). New drugs for rheumatoid arthritis. New England Journal of Medicine, 350(21), 2167-2179. Soeken, K. L., Miller, S. A., & Ernst, E. (2003). Herbal medicines for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review. Rheumatology, 42(5), 652-659. 6 NURSING INFORMATICS .
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