Designing Studies Involving Complementary Therapy Interventions: The Value of Interprofessional Collaboration

As the use of nonpharmacological interventions and management strategies continues to increase, the use of complementary and integrative therapies is gaining more attention in the acute care setting. To support the evidence-based practice of these therapies, additional research in the clinical setting is needed. Over the past several years, our interprofessional collaborative research group has successfully designed and conducted several studies using the complementary therapy intervention Healing Touch. The interprofessional nature of the study team, which includes nurses, complementary therapy practitioners, and health sciences researchers, has been a strength in terms of the study design and conduct, as well as a learning experience for all involved. This case study focuses on how interprofessional and interdisciplinary expertise can inform the design of this type of research so that the intervention is true to the philosophy of the therapy being studied while maintaining scientific rigor and feasibility in the acute care setting.