UK doctors rate their knowledge of herbal medicines
Here are the results of the British Medical Journal survey.
88% of respondents came from the UK, with the rest coming from 10 countries.
Do you think herbal medicines are helpful?
- In some circumstances: 75%
How would you describe the attitudes of the general public towards herbal medicines?
- Generally positive: 82%
Do you think that the general public has a misplaced faith in herbal medicines?
- Yes: 72%
In general, how well informed do you think the general public is about herbal medicines?
- Poorly informed: 86%
In general, how well informed do you think doctors are about herbal medicines?
- Poorly informed: 76%
How would you describe your current knowledge and understanding of herbal medicines?
- Quite poor: 36%
Compared to your knowledge of prescribed medicines, your knowledge of herbal medicines is…
- Much poorer: 89%
Do you worry that your patients will take herbal medicines and not tell you?
- Yes: 77%
When planning or reviewing a patient’s drug therapy, do you ask them whether they are already taking herbal medicines?
- Occasionally/for a few patients: 47%
If you knew a patient was taking a herbal medicine you did not know the effects of, would you generally seek further information on it before starting or adjusting non-herbal medication?
- Yes: 70%
Does your clinical prescribing system provide any information on herbal medicines?
- No: 63%
How much do you know about the regulatory arrangements around herbal medicines?
- Very little: 52%
Do you believe herbal medicines are well regulated?
- No: 84%
The bottom line?
Lots of conclusions can be drawn from the survey results.
Most interesting to me is that although 70% of the respondents would search for more information about herbals their patients take, 3 out of 10 respondents who would not seek further information cited uncertainty as to where to find reliable information (60%).
4/8/10 19:57 JR