Academic Physicians and Complementary and Alternative Medicine: An Institutional Survey

Abstract

In order to assess attitudes, awareness, and behavior related to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among academic physicians, a questionnaire study was conducted with faculty in one of the largest teaching hospitals in the United States. The survey assessed attitudes toward and awareness of 11 CAM therapies in regard to patient usage and usefulness. The majority of respondents believed that only 20% or less of their patients used CAM. Respondents varied widely on level of knowledge/awareness of specific CAM therapies. Those who were more knowledgeable were more likely to perceive CAM as useful and to have recommended more therapies. The modalities respondents noted as knowing the least about were deemed the least useful. Limited knowledge of most CAM therapies and limited awareness of patient CAM use points to the need for continuing education efforts for physicians, focusing on CAM.

Comparison of knowledge, attitude, and experience about complementary and alternative medicine between primary care physicians and academic physicians in Korea

“…In general, although their subjective levels of CAM knowledge were low, this study' s results show that in previous studies [12,20,21]. Taken together, these results emphasize the importance of CAM education in physicians'use of CAM in the future.…”

“…However, considering that APs have a substantial impact on research, medical practice, and medical education related to CAM [20], it is reasonable to survey and compare APs and…”

A Survey of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Knowledge among Health Educators in the United States

“…(False=4) 26 These fi ndings are similar to those of other studies that assessed the self-reported knowledge levels of various CAM therapies among different health professionals. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] The small proportion of participants who reported that they did not know the six basic CAM concept items indicates that most participating health educators were confi dent about their knowledge of those basic CAM concepts. The relatively small differences between mean scores and correct scores (i.e., knowledge gaps) for items assessing whether acupuncture is benefi cial in treating a variety of health conditions, the general defi nition of CAM, and whether there is suffi cient scientifi c evidence regarding CAM safety and effectiveness indicate that the participating health educators do possess an adequate level of knowledge regarding those basic CAM concepts.…”

“…For example, several studies asked participants to describe their level of knowledge of common CAM therapies on a Likert scale ranging from "no knowledge" to "a great amount of knowledge." [6][7][8][9] Other studies asked participants to state whether they had knowledge of a series of CAM therapies. [10][11][12][13][14] An extensive review of the extant literature identifi ed only one study that objectively measured the actual knowledge of several CAM therapies among health professionals.…”

“…The limited number of studies examining the self-reported level of CAM knowledge among various health professionals revealed that most such individuals do not believe that they possess an adequate level of CAM knowledge. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] According to the areas of responsibilities for professional health educators, a health educator should be able to select valid and reliable sources of information about health needs and interests, to investigate various factors that infl uence health, to act as a resource person, and to foster effective communication between health care providers and consumers. 16 Although Patterson and Graf 17 proposed a CAM education course for health education professional preparation programs in 2000, there is no research available addressing the number, context, or outcomes (e.g., CAM knowledge) associated with professional health education preparation programs that offer a CAM course.…”