Utilization of complimentary and alternative medicine in primary care : what are the relations between it and conventional medicine?

Abstract

Backgroud: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) utilization among various groups of patients in western countries is increasing. Objectives: To describe the utilization of various CAM methods in parallel with conventional pri- mary care medicine and the relations between it and conventional medicine. Study Design: Four hundred and eighty patients in two primary care clinics participated in the survey. The participants answered a structured questionnaire, which included socio-demographic information and details of CAM therapy utilization. Results: Eighty percent of those seeking CAM therapy received conventional medical treatment for the same complaint as well. When asked if CAM should be funded 69% agreed, 14% disagreed and 8.3% were undecided. The most frequent causes for using CAM therapy were insufficient improve- ment by conventional treatment (36%), a reluctance to take medications (19%) and willingness to try a new modality (13%). Most of those who received CAM therapy felt it was beneficial and claim they would return to use it in the future under similar circumstances. Conclusions: We found that the term complementary is more appropriate as most patients use CAM in parallel to conventional medicine. Patients using CAM are satisfied and intend to use CAM in the future.