Home Who we are

Our Research:

Introduction Acupuncture Healing Homeopathy Herbal Remedies and Nutrition Methodology CAM Use Other CAM therapies CAM Research Postgraduate Projects Medical Student Projects Teaching Research Seminars and Conferences Volunteers Wanted Research Opportunities Links Teaching Latest News / Press Releases Sitemap

 

Patients are increasingly using complementary and alternative medicine and doctors are responding to this in several ways, from being enthusiastic and interested to mystified and critical. Complementary and alternative medicine incorporates several different approaches and methodologies with techniques ranging from spiritual healing in cancer to nutritional interventions for premenstrual tension, acupuncture for pain relief and manipulation for backache. In this article we encourage you to reflect on your understanding of complementary and alternative medicine in relation to your clinical practice, share some of the current initiatives in undergraduate and postgraduate familiarisation and training in this type of medicine and explore the implication of education, support and development. The BMA’s attitude to complementary and alternative medicine became much more positive between its first and second reports on the subject in 1986 and 1993. Around 39.5% of general practice partnerships in England provide access to some form of complementary therapy for their NHS patients but this raises questions about how the provision of such treatment can be integrated into conventional practice. If doctors are to treat patients with complementary and alternative medicine what training do they require?

Objective: We describe the planning, development and evaluation of a special study module (SSM) on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) as part of the Southampton Medical School undergraduate curriculum.
Aim: To address how the module was received by students, the themes that emerged, the effect on student attitudes to CAM and how the teaching aims developed into learning objectives.
Method: Student feedback questionnaires and regular teaching staff meetings over a period of 3 years.
Results: The course resulted in a significant change in student attitudes to CAM and was well received by the students. It offered a reflective insight into conventional medicine. We have developed and validated core teaching objectives.
Conclusions: We hope that our well validated and well received core teaching objectives will provide a broadly applicable base for those who wish to run similar courses.

As the use of CAM grows, CAM familiarisation offers educational opportunities for undergraduates to understand CAM, their attitudes to medical change and the process of evidence-based medicine.
Such courses also offer the opportunity to integrate patient care and improve the relationship between medical and CAM practitioners.
CAM familiarisation courses are available in many medical schools in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The multi-professional model which we have developed at the University of Southampton (UK) offers valuable experience to those thinking of establishing such courses.