The Need for Complementary Alternative Medicine Knowledge among Health-Related Majors in Higher Education
Location
Room 1005
Proposal Track
Research Project
Session Format
Presentation
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
Recently, as more people have become dissatisfied with current methods of medical treatment, the use of complementary alternative medicine (CAM) has increased, possibly due to concerns regarding harmful side effects of pharmaceuticals. According to The National Health Interview Survey, 38% of individuals in America utilized unconventional treatments for diseases, and those with stronger educational backgrounds and higher incomes were more likely to use CAM due to an increased awareness of available treatments (NIH, 2007). As the use of CAM increases, medical students and medical professionals are becoming more receptive to using CAM for their patients. It is essential that these professionals receive the proper information regarding all of CAM’s benefits, perhaps through a modified curriculum beginning in undergraduate education. Thus, proper integration of CAM with the existing curriculum will have to be a concerted effort among aptly trained faculty members and appointed leaders within each institution (Sierpina, 2007). Such efforts must be made in order to expand upon the 15 educational programs funded by the NIH for medical schools (Gaylord & Mann, 2007). Given the many benefits and vast scope of CAM, it is imperative that healthcare majors be properly educated and trained to make well-informed decisions for their patients.
Keywords
Complementary alternative medicine, Health curriculum, Health education
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Cearley, Shannon M.; Immaneni, Supriya; and Shankar, Padmini Ph.D., "The Need for Complementary Alternative Medicine Knowledge among Health-Related Majors in Higher Education" (2014). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 77.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2014/2014/77
The Need for Complementary Alternative Medicine Knowledge among Health-Related Majors in Higher Education
Room 1005
Recently, as more people have become dissatisfied with current methods of medical treatment, the use of complementary alternative medicine (CAM) has increased, possibly due to concerns regarding harmful side effects of pharmaceuticals. According to The National Health Interview Survey, 38% of individuals in America utilized unconventional treatments for diseases, and those with stronger educational backgrounds and higher incomes were more likely to use CAM due to an increased awareness of available treatments (NIH, 2007). As the use of CAM increases, medical students and medical professionals are becoming more receptive to using CAM for their patients. It is essential that these professionals receive the proper information regarding all of CAM’s benefits, perhaps through a modified curriculum beginning in undergraduate education. Thus, proper integration of CAM with the existing curriculum will have to be a concerted effort among aptly trained faculty members and appointed leaders within each institution (Sierpina, 2007). Such efforts must be made in order to expand upon the 15 educational programs funded by the NIH for medical schools (Gaylord & Mann, 2007). Given the many benefits and vast scope of CAM, it is imperative that healthcare majors be properly educated and trained to make well-informed decisions for their patients.
