A core curriculum for CAM and allopathic practitioners
The Sixth U.K. House of Lords Science and Technology Report was published in 2000. It covers basic information on CAM. However, the section that interested me was on professional training and education.
Ultimately, the goal for CAM should be its integration into mainstream, allopathic medicine, according to the Report.
OK. But shouldn’t contemporary medicine be integrated into current CAM disciplines, as well? Patients benefit most when all healthcare providers understand the potential and limits of all available treatments.
Here are highlights of the Report’s recommendations on training and education. Again, these recommendations should apply to CAM and mainstream medicine training programs.
All healthcare practitioners should understand:
- The principles of evidence-based medicine and healthcare
- Anatomy, physiology, basic biochemistry, and pharmacology
- Fundamentals of conventional medical diagnosis and guidelines of patient referral
- CAM therapies and their potential uses
- Research methodology and application of results
- Holistic models of healthcare
- Professional ethics
- Clinical audit of outcomes
- Impact of social, cultural, economic, employment, and environmental factors on health
- Counseling skills
- Principles of quality management and audit
- Organizational skills including record keeping
- Technical skills (eg, information technology management)
9/9/06 11:25 JR
