Article Figures & Data
Tables
- Table 1.
Characteristics of Primary Care Physicians and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Practitioners
Characteristic Primary Care Physicians (n = 333) CAM Practitioners (n = 241) Sex* (n [%]) Male 187 (58) 95 (41) Female 134 (42) 137 (59) Age (mean ± SD [median]) 47.7 ± 7.2 (48) 40.2 ± 9.4 (38) Medical specialty† (n [%]) Specialists 265 (80)‡ Family medicine 105 (32) Internal medicine 47 (14) Pediatrics 9 (3) CAM modality (n [%])† Movement/manual healing 124 (51)§ Traditional Chinese medicine 88 (37) Naturopathy 29 (12) Homeopathy 10 (4) Herbal medicine 9 (4) Chiropractic 8 (3) Healing 4 (2) Meditation 3 (1) Data analysis were performed by t test. CAM, complementary and alternative medicine; SD, standard deviation.
* Three hundred twenty-one of 333 primary care physicians and 232 of 241 CAM practitioners reported this data.
† Respondents reporting any kind of medical or CAM specialty, which include one or more of the fields specified here.
‡ Eighty-eight physicians (27.3%) reported having studied CAM, with experience ranging from basic introductory courses to full programs. Twenty-four physicians (7.7%) reported practicing CAM. Fifty-two percent reported having used CAM treatments over the past year.
§ Thirty-one (13%) of the CAM practitioners were physicians.
- Table 2.
Areas in Which Respondents Were Interested in Collaborative Teamwork Between Conventional and Complementary and Alternative Medicines
Area Participants* (n [%]) P Primary Care Physicians (n = 328) CAM Practitioners (n = 226) Clinical practice 226 (69) 174 (77) .0430 Scientific research 50 (15) 95 (42) <.0001 Medical education 8 (2) 61 (27) <.0001 Data analysis was performed by Pearson's χ2 test. CAM, complementary and alternative medicine.
* Three hundred twenty-eight of 333 primary care physicians and 226 of 241 CAM practitioners responded this question. Respondents were able to choose several options, thus the sum of percents exceeds 100%.
- Table 3.
Respondents’ Attitudes to the Question, If Complementary and Alternative Medicine Was Provided in a Primary Care Clinic, Who Should Offer Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatment?
CAM Provider Participants* (n [%]) P Primary Care Physicians (n = 327; 327 responses) CAM Practitioners (n = 234; 264 responses) CAM practitioner non-MD 135 (40.9) 199 (75.4) <.0001 CAM practitioner MD 119 (36.1) 31 (11.7) <.0001 Family physician in the clinic 48 (14.5) 9 (3.4) <.0001 Nurse 6 (1.8) 5 (2.1) NS Pharmacist 4 (1.2) 4 (1.9) NS Other 15 (4.5) 16 (6.1) NS Data analysis was performed by Pearson's χ2 test. NS, not significant; CAM, complementary and alternative medicine.
* Three hundred twenty-seven of 333 primary care physicians and 234 of 241 CAM practitioners responded this question. Respondents were asked to focus on merely one option but were able to choose several options. Thus, number of responses is higher than the number of respondents. The data in the table refer to number of responses.
- Table 4.
Respondents’ Attitudes to the Question, How Do You Perceive Conjoint Physician–Complementary and Alternative Medicine Practitioner Teamwork?
Team Director Participants* (n [%]) P Primary Care Physicians (n = 283; responses = 298) CAM Practitioners (n = 198; responses = 227) Physician† 127 (42.6) 43 (18.9) .0007 CAM practitioner† 8 (2.7) 12 (5.3) NS Codirected‡ 62 (20.8) 83 (36.6) .0001 Directed by either physician or CAM practitioner§ 86 (28.9) 60 (26.4) NS Data analysis was performed by Pearson's χ2 test. NS, not significant; CAM, complementary and alternative medicine.
* Two hundred eighty-three of 333 primary care physicians and 198 of 241 CAM practitioners responded this question. Respondents were asked to focus on merely one option but were able to choose several options. Thus, number of responses is higher than the number of respondents. The data in the table refer to number of responses.
† The head of the team is a physician (or CAM practitioner) that directs and coordinates the treatment.
‡ The physician and CAM practitioner have equal standing, with neither of them heading the team.
§ The head of the team is determined by the unique characteristics of the patient and his/her illness.