home // Medical // Alternative Medicine
Primary Care Physicians’ Attitudes and Practices Regarding ...
Source: www.jaoa.org
File Size: 300.97 KB
Category: Medical
Last Download : 23 days 6 hours 24 minutes ago
Share this info:
Short Description: Regarding Complementary and Alternative Medicine (N 423). Physician-Patient .... cians and complementary-alternative medicine: training, attitudes and prac- ...
Content Inside: ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION Primary Care Physicians' Attitudes and Practices Regarding Complementary and Alternative Medicine Margot E. Kurtz, PhD Robert B. Nolan, DC, DO William J. Rittinger, DO Data were gathered from 423 osteopathic primary care groups. Complementary and alternative medicine refers to physicians who are members of the Michigan Osteo- modes of therapy that are used for medical intervention, pathic Association, assessing their attitudes and practices health promotion, and disease prevention, and that are nei- regarding complementary and alternative medicine ther routinely taught at medical schools in the United States ( C A M ) . nor routinely underwritten by third-party payers in the Family physicians and general internists were more American health care system.1 likely than pediatricians to talk to their patients about The use of CAM by Americans has increased signifi- CAM. Similarly, female physicians were more likely than cantly in the past 10 years. The number of visits to alterna- male physicians to talk to their patients about CAM or tive medicine practitioners for CAM is estimated to have refer their patients for CAM. Finally, physicians aged 35 increased from 427 million in 1990 to 629 million in 1997.2 T h e years and younger were more likely than those 60 years figure of 629 million visits exceeds the number of visits and older to use CAM for themselves or their families. Americans made to all primary care physicians in the United Predominant among the conditions for which the States during the same year. Further, between 50% and 75% physicians would refer for CAM were long-term prob- of the US population is estimated to be using some form of lems, traditional therapy failures, psychiatric disorders, CAM at a given time.2 A recent study of women with and behavioral problems. Results reveal wide variations menopausal symptoms revealed that 76% of the women in the way osteopathic primary care physicians view and used some form of CAM for relief of their symptoms.3 use complementary and alternative care. Despite the growing usage and interest in CAM, few of these patients will tell their primary care physicians of their Osteopathic primary care physicians serve as the portal use of these modes of therapy for fear of criticism and humil- to health care for millions of Americans. These physi- i a t i o n .4 cians are exposed to patients with a wide range of ailments Physicians disagree as to how many of their patients and treatment options. Further, today's primary care physi- use CAM modes of therapy. Rosenbaum et al5 found that a cians are confronted with patients who are seeking infor- sample of physicians in Iowa believed that 20% or less of their mation about or who are currently using complementary patients used any form of CAM, while Corbin and Shapiro6 and alternative medicine (CAM) modes of therapy. Com- found that 76% of physicians surveyed believed their patients plementary and alternative medicine encompasses modes of were using CAM and 48% of the physicians had recom- therapy outside the domain of mainstream Western med- mended CAM. In their study of allopathic pediatric physi- icine, including acupuncture, chiropractic manipulation, cians' experiences with and attitudes toward CAM, Sikand biofeedback, herbal medications, high-dose antioxidants, and Laken7 found that 83% of surveyed pediatricians vitamin and mineral supplementation, homeopathic prepa- believed their patients used CAM, but 55% believed that rations, hypnosis, imagery, lifestyle diet, massage therapy, this constituted fewer than 10% of their patients. Most (54%) prayer healing, chelation, relaxation therapies, and self-help physicians in this survey were interested in continuing med- ical education courses on CAM modes of therapy, 55% said they would use CAM modes of therapy, and 50% indicated that they would refer patients for CAM modes of therapy. Dr Kurtz is a professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, In another study, Kreitzer et al8 found that 90% of faculty and Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, East Lansing. students at the University of Minnesota Medical School This research was supported by a grant from the Office of Research, Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. believed that clinical care should integrate conventional and Address correspondence to Margot E. Kurtz, PhD, Michigan State University CAM modes of therapy into medical practice, and 80% College of Osteopathic Medicine, B211 West Fee Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824- believed CAM should be incorporated into the medical 1 0 4 6 . E-mail: kurtzm@msu.edu school curriculum. Kurtz et al · Original Contribution J A O A · Vol 103 · No 12 · December 2003 · 5 9 7
Advertiser