Acupuncture/ pressure, Aromatherapy, CAM Education, Chiropractic, Diet-Nutrition, Herbals, Homeopathy, Magnets, Massage, Religion/ Spirituality

Attitudes of pharmacy faculty and students toward CAM

Overall, they are positive, at least at the University of Minnesota.

Faculty members from departments who were directly involved in teaching at the college of pharmacy were included. Students were 4th-year doctor of pharmacy students less than a month away from graduation.

More than 80% of faculty and students believed?

  • CAM should be included in the curriculum.
  • CAM knowledge is important to them.
  • Health professionals should be able to advise patients about CAM.

Despite positive attitudes?

  • 16% of faculty and 30% of students believe that CAM results are usually due to the placebo effect.
  • More than half indicated a strong desire to see CAM therapies validated in a scientific manner.

Regarding the place of CAM modalities in healthcare, only chiropractic was considered mainstream by more than 50% of the faculty and students.

CAM identified as moderately or highly effective by more than half of the faculty and students

  • Acupuncture
  • Chiropractic
  • Herbal medicine
  • Massage
  • Nutritional supplements
  • Prayer/spiritual healing

Therapies most frequently perceived by faculty as being ineffective

  • Aromatherapy (19%)
  • Bioelectromagnetic therapies (26%)
  • Homeopathy (26%)

A majority of students did not judge any CAM as ineffective.

More detailed results can be found here.

4/14/07 09:39 JR