Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2005; 10: 19
The aim of this presentation is to describe the experience gained in teaching CAM in two different settings of family practice residency programmes, one in Israel and one in the USA. CAM in the context of medical education is a controversial topic among the medical community. With the increased popularity of CAM, medical educators are faced with the need to educate physicians so that they become competent in communicating with patients about CAM. As academic medicine shows more interest in CAM, it is critical to develop initiatives to overcome physicians’ attitudinal barriers toward CAM and develop an instruction strategy that can address these needs.
An approach to educate family practice residents and family physicians about CAM was developed in one country (Israel) and improvement and adjustments were done in another country (USA). The teaching approach hinges on critical thinking and basing decisions on evidence-based material.
Results were available only from the Israeli experience and revealed that after the teaching, physicians’ referral to CAM became more selective; at the same time their personal use of CAM also increased.
There is a need to develop effective CAM educational programmes so physicians can become competent in discussing CAM use with their patients.
Support for this work was provided in part by the National Institutes of Health and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine CAM Education Project – #IR25AT00586-01 and its contents are solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH or the NCCAM.
