Integrated medicine poses challenges for education, regulation, and research

Undergraduate education in complementary medicine is needed to familiarise tomorrow's doctors with the therapies used. Owen et al (p 154) describe how a special study module has been integrated into the curriculum at Southampton University. Practical issues raised by the model include prioritising funding and respecting individual choice.

On page 158 Mills emphasises the importance of regulation. In Britain complementary medicine practitioners can set themselves up without any regulation so long as they do not claim to be medically qualified. This is not the case in most other European Union countries. This results in varying educational standards and codes of professional conduct. He recommends that each discipline should set up its own regulatory body, with the possibility of combining them in the future.

Nahin and Straus, directors of the National Centre for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine in America, discuss some of the problems they have encountered in conducting research (p 161). These include recruiting suitable patients and finding appropriate placebos. They conclude that commitment from the research community and sustained financial support from governments and industry is required if validated complementary practices are to be incorporated into patient care.

Developing countries have a long history of attempting to integrate traditional and orthodox medicine within their healthcare systems. The west can learn important lessons from their experience, including the professional conflict that can arise when one system is dominant. On page 164 Bodeker outlines the current position in China, India, Africa, South Korea, and Malaysia. China has adopted a true integrated approach, whereas in India modern and traditional medicine remain separate within the national health system.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    StumbleUpon    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Articles

Can doctors respond to patients' increasing interest in complementary and alternative medicine? • Commentary: Special study modules and complementary and alternative medicinethe Glasgow experience

D K Owen, G Lewith, C R Stephens, and Helen Bryden
BMJ 2001 322: 154-158. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Regulation in complementary and alternative medicine

Simon Y Mills
BMJ 2001 322: 158-160. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Research into complementary and alternative medicine: problems and potential

Richard L Nahin and Stephen E Straus
BMJ 2001 322: 161-164. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Lessons on integration from the developing world's experience • Commentary: Challenges in using traditional systems of medicine

Gerard Bodeker and Ranjit Roy Chaudhury
BMJ 2001 322: 164-167. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]