Session 9 - Comlementary therapies Flashcards
Why might people use complementary therapies?
- Failure of conventional treatment (persistence of symptoms)
- Prefer a holistic approach to their problem
- Adverse effects of conventional medicine
- May feel they receive more time and attention from complementary practitioners (even though they are paying for it)
What are some patient perspectives to CT?
Increased level of satisfaction
But concerns over: safety and competence, guilt, denial of real problem, cost, social stigma
What are some of the doctors perpective of complementary therapies?
Some may be beneficial
But concerns over: unqualified + unregulated practitioners, may risk delay in diagnosis, refusal of conventional treatment
What are some of the implications of CT in medical practice?
Lack of communication between practitioners
Interactions of conventional medicine with herbal stuff
The more people involved in one patients care the more complex things can get
What are some challenges of conducting trials in complementary therapy?
Funding
Hard to use double blinding
Finding placebos
Trial of single intervention may not reflect reality (CTs are more holistic and the overall ethos is beneficial)!?!?
What evidence is used to support CTs?
Personal experience
The survival without evidence based medicine
Reasons to its efficacy cannot be grasped by western nations and rational
Why is it argued NICE should evaluate CTs?
High public interest
Some gps recommend and provide access
Should apply to the same standards as conventional medicine
Why should NICE not evaluate CTs?
Money is limited
NICE has higher priories
Poor quality of previous evidence
What are complementary therapies?
A medical system based in a theory of disease or method of treatment other than the orthodox science of medicine as taught by medical schools
