Attitudes of first year medical students to complementary and alternative medicine

Introduction: As complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use becomes increasingly widespread among the general population, doctors need to be confident and competent in evaluating therapies and discussing them with patients. This study assesses the attitude of first-year graduate-entry medical students towards complementary and alternative medicine, the factors that influence their opinions and decisions, and the implications that these may have for CAM education within a medical curriculum. Methods: First-year medical students completed a cross-sectional survey on CAM attitudes, CAM instruction, information sources, importance of evidence types and personal use, knowledge, referral decision and Medicare eligibility for 10 specific therapies. Results: Overall, medical students had a positive attitude to CAM, with most students interested in further CAM education. The majority of students had used and would refer patients for at least one of the therapies. Students who had used or had knowledge of a CAM therapy were significantly more likely to refer patients for that therapy. Conclusion: Most students want more CAM teaching. These data suggest optimal CAM curricula would incorporate evidence-base and the nature of common CAM therapies to enable students to competently discuss them with patients.