| Title | Academic doctors' views of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and its role within the NHS: an exploratory qualitative study. | | Author(s) | Maha N, Shaw A | | Source | BMC Complement Altern Med 2007 May 30; 7(1):17. | | Abstract | ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND: There has been an increase in the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the UK population in recent years. Much of this use takes places outside of the NHS. Patient demand for CAM is initiating debates about the role of CAM within the NHS, with health professionals needing to formulate their own attitudes towards CAM.
METHODS: An exploratory qualitative study of doctors views of CAM was conducted. Purposeful sampling was used to target doctors primarily working in general practice, who had a range of views on CAM.
RESULTS: Nine doctors were interviewed for this exploratory study. Eight were general practitioners (GPs) and one was a homeopathic doctor working in a hospital setting and receiving homeopathic referrals from primary care. The data revealed three groups of doctors regarding their attitudes towards CAM: the enthusiasts, the sceptics and the undecided. Five key themes identified within the data were: the role of doctors personal experiences of conventional medicine and CAM in shaping their views of CAM; doctor-patient communication about CAM and patient disclosure; doctors information and training needs regarding CAM; perceptions of the evidence base for CAM; and the role of CAM within the NHS.
CONCLUSIONS: This exploratory study highlights a range of views of CAM, and various rationales for these views. Doctors identified the value of unpacking the term complementary and alternative medicine to distinguish those modalities that may be effective from others that are not, or those that may be acceptable to doctors (or patients) from those that are not. Wholesale incorporation of CAM within the NHS is unlikely and may be viewed as undesirable. Yet, there may be elements of some CAM approaches that could be applied more widely within mainstream NHS practice, to enhance patients overall quality of care and even increase doctors fulfilment in their practice. | | Language | ENG | | Pub Type(s) | JOURNAL ARTICLE
| | PubMed ID | 17537248 |
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