More FP Patients Demand Alternative Medicine - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

0 Comments | Family Practice News, June 15, 2000 | by Kim Lawson

ORLANDO, FLA. - Family physicians may be more willing than other physicians to satisfy patients' demand for alternative medicine, Janice Probst, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.

In a University of South Carolina survey of 327 physicians that was conducted by Dr. Probst and Bruce Schell, Ph.D., family physicians reported that their patients express more interest in alternative therapies, compared with patients of internists, ob.gyns., or pediatricians, said Dr. Probst of the department of family and preventive medicine at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

In 8 out of 13 therapeutic categories, the family physicians--most of whom were men--were more likely than the physicians in other specialties to refer their patients for alternative therapies. These categories included self-help group sessions, massage therapy, commercial weight loss programs, and chiropractic care, she said.

Family physicians also were more likely than other physicians to report using vitamin therapy and relaxation therapy for themselves: 50% of the FPs personally used vitamin therapy compared with 33% of other physicians; 41% of FPs personally used relaxation therapy compared with 28% of other physicians.

Overall, 65% of the family physicians and 47% of the other physicians said that they use continuing education classes to learn about alternative therapies, Dr. Probst said.

Increasing the attention given to alternative medicine in continuing education curricula might be useful for physicians and, ultimately, patients, she noted.

In a separate presentation, Dr. Teresa McCutchon reported that interest in alternative medicine was high among 575 patients who were surveyed by the Residency Research Network of South Texas, a group of six family practice residency programs.

About 58% of the patients--of whom 80% were Hispanic and 74% were women--had used at least one form of complementary medicine within the past year, said Dr. McCutchon, a resident at the family practice residency program in Corpus Christi, Tex.

The most popular forms of complementary medicine were lifestyle behaviors such as diet, exercise, and vitamins and mind-body methods, such as prayer, yoga, hypnosis, biofeedback, and relaxation techniques, she reported.

Patients who used prescription or over-the-counter medications were more likely than others to use complementary therapies, Dr. McCutchon said.