Teaching CAM in allopathic and osteopathic medical schools
Yes, they teach CAM at osteopathic and allopathic medical schools.
This survey concludes we need less advocacy and more reliance on evidence-based medicine (ie, combining research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values).
CAM is usually taught in the first 2 years of medical school and involves fewer than 20 contact hours of instruction.
The topics most often taught.
- Acupuncture (68%)
- Herbs and botanicals (68%)
- Spirituality (56%)
- Dietary therapy (52%)
- Homeopathy (48%)
Most (72%) CAM instructors were also practitioners of CAM modes of therapy. Few (12%) of the instructors taught CAM from an evidence-based perspective.
The question is, for some of these topics (homeopathy, spirituality) would there be enough clinical trials to fill the curriculum? Or should there be?
2/10/07 08:43 JR