How do medical students engaging in elective courses on acupuncture and homeopathy differ from unselected students? A survey

Jocham, Alexandra; Kriston, Levente; Berberat, Pascal O.; Schneider, Antonius; Linde, Klaus

doi:10.1186/s12906-017-1653-z

Cited by 11 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Assuming that, in our survey, we included 80% of all German students participating in an elective course on acupuncture or homeopathy in our sampling period, we estimate that 5-10% of all German medical school students participate in such courses during their study. The proportion of 9% of students reporting current or past participation in an elective course in the unselected control group in the other part of our study [11] also fits with such an estimate. Acupuncture/Traditional Chinese Medicine and homeopathy are the CAM therapies most often taught at German medical schools, but we know of a number of broader CAM courses, courses focusing on 'natural healing procedures' (focusing on herbal medicine, lifestyle, etc.)…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

“…Personal experiences and influence of the family or the personal environment have been shown to be important both among students [13] and physicians practicing CAM [15]. The other part of our project showed that, compared to unselected students, participants in elective courses of acupuncture and homeopathy -apart from having more positive attitudes towards CAM -were more critical about science and had a higher social and a lower status orientation [11].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…However, the 3-group comparison focussed on a different module of the questionnaire (see below). The respective results are summarized elsewhere [11].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The first 1.5 pages addressed attitudes towards CAM, science, social and status orientation, and personality traits. This part was filled in also by the unselected control group, analyzed separately as a 3-group comparison, and is described elsewhere [11]. This paper focusses on the following 2.5 pages of the questionnaire.…”

Section: Questionnairementioning

confidence: 99%

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Why Do Students Engage in Elective Courses on Acupuncture and Homeopathy at Medical School? A Survey

et al. 2017

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Background: We aimed to investigate why medical students in Germany participate in elective courses on acupuncture or homeopathy. Methods: The study was a nationwide, cross-sectional survey. Elective courses on acupuncture and homeopathy in the academic half-year 2013/14 were identified by inquiries directed to all 37 German medical schools, to student initiatives, and organizations supporting such courses. Participants of courses were asked to fill in a questionnaire consisting of a free-text question on their motives and closed questions regarding personal experiences, personal environment, evidence, role of the therapy as a complement to conventional medicine, and opportunistic aspects in relation to the therapy chosen. Results: Students participating in 16 of 18 identified acupuncture courses (n = 220) and 12 of 13 identified homeopathy courses (n = 113) filled in the questionnaire. Content analysis of the free text showed that personal experience, a feeling that conventional medicine is somehow incomplete, the belief that acupuncture or homeopathy could help to overcome this shortcoming, and positive characteristics attributed to the therapies were the main motives for participation. Quantitative analyses showed that own experiences and considering the therapy a useful complement to conventional medicine were similarly rated motives in both groups, while opportunistic aspects played almost no role. The influence of the personal environment was more important among homeopathy students, while acupuncture students considered their therapy better backed by evidence. Conclusion: In our survey, personal experiences and the belief that acupuncture or homeopathy allows grasping the patient more holistically were primary motives for participation.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…However, the 3-group comparison focussed on a different module of the questionnaire (see below). The respective results are summarized elsewhere [11].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Questionnairementioning

confidence: 99%

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Why Do Students Engage in Elective Courses on Acupuncture and Homeopathy at Medical School? A Survey

et al. 2017

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“…The former had low interest in status (i.e., social reputation and income) as a driver in the decision to be a medical doctor and were more likely to be destined for family medicine. Among those who were not inclined, a sub-group of students (about 1/4 of 315 students) were identifiable by overt objections to traditional medicine perspectives; these latter students scored high on status motivations and low on agreeableness [160]. Agreeableness is negatively correlated with authoritarianism, SDO and Machiavellianism [161,162].…”

Section: Tollo Causa: Research Questions and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Authoritarianism to Advocacy: Lifestyle-Driven, Socially-Transmitted Conditions Require a Transformation in Medical Training and Practice

Prescott

Logan²

2018

Challenges

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The epidemic of socially-rooted, lifestyle-driven non-communicable diseases (NCDs; also referred to as socially-transmitted conditions) has now overtaken infectious diseases as the leading cause of human mortality. Despite this reality, physician education, training and practice within industrialized nations is heavily slanted toward the biopharmaceutical (and away from the psychosocial) aspects of prevention and treatment. As we underscore, the current state of physician training and practical application of guidelines pertaining to lifestyle is paltry and untenable. However, the solution is not a few more hours of nutritional biochemistry to check off the curricula box. Physician readiness for the current NCD crisis will require a philosophical shift in medicine-at-large, including candidate pooling. Recent elections in the United States and Europe have cast a spotlight on the public health consequences of political authoritarianism. However, we highlight that authoritarianism-and its related facets of social dominance orientation and Machiavellianism-are not exclusive to political candidates. Here, we open a dialogue on authoritarianism in westernized medicine as a starting point in order to encourage the development of critical research and to explore its potential as a barrier to patient care. We suggest that authoritarianism and its prejudices act as a border wall to the World Health Organization's broad vision of global health, cultural competency and patient autonomy. Moreover, the evidence reviewed here would suggest that in the context of the NCDs crisis, westernized medicine is long overdue a Flexner Report for the 21st Century.

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Pharmacy Students' Knowledge and Attitudes about Homeopathy: A Descriptive Survey Conducted in Turkey

et al. 2023

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Background Homeopathy belongs to “Traditional and Complementary Medicine” (TCM) and is defined in the TCM regulation in Turkey as a holistic practice method that aims to improve health status with personalized medicines. The international and national literature includes a limited number of studies that examine individuals' knowledge, attitudes and behaviors toward homeopathy. Although in Turkey the Regulation on Pharmacists and Pharmacies states that the sale of homeopathic medicines is allowed only in pharmacies, no study was found that evaluated awareness about homeopathy among pharmacy students. Objective The present study aims to assess pharmacy students' knowledge and attitudes toward homeopathy and to identify the factors that influence them. Methods This descriptive study was conducted between December 1, 2021 and February 1, 2022 among the students of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Karadeniz Technical University (KTU), through a face-to-face survey. In total, 418 questionnaires suitable for data quality were included in the study. The SPSS 23.0 statistical program was used to analyze the data and the statistical significance level was taken as p < 0.05. Results It was determined that 73% of the participants had heard about TCM practices and 55% had heard of homeopathy. Students in the fifth grade (p = 0.0001) and those working in an income-generating job (p = 0.026) were found to be those most aware of homeopathy. The students of the Faculty of Pharmacy correctly knew the basic working principles of homeopathy (p = 0.002). The source from which students obtained the most information about homeopathy was undergraduate courses. 80.4% of the participants thought that homeopathy should be applied by pharmacists. 47.0% of the students wanted to learn more about homeopathy or to carry out studies in the field of homeopathy in their careers. Conclusion The results of this research revealed a high awareness amongst KTU pharmacy students about the practice of homeopathy.

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How do medical students engaging in elective courses on acupuncture and homeopathy differ from unselected students? A survey

Cited by 11 publications

References 22 publications

Why Do Students Engage in Elective Courses on Acupuncture and Homeopathy at Medical School? A Survey

Why Do Students Engage in Elective Courses on Acupuncture and Homeopathy at Medical School? A Survey

From Authoritarianism to Advocacy: Lifestyle-Driven, Socially-Transmitted Conditions Require a Transformation in Medical Training and Practice

Pharmacy Students' Knowledge and Attitudes about Homeopathy: A Descriptive Survey Conducted in Turkey

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