Pediatricians' Recommendations for Complementary and Alternative Medical (CAM) Therapies
Section snippets
METHODS
The survey was the 49th Periodic Survey of Fellows of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Initiated in 1987, these surveys are conducted approximately 3 to 4 times yearly. Each one selects a unique national, random sample of US members of the AAP; for this survey, the sample was drawn from a list of 48 767 US nonretired members, including candidate Fellows and pediatric residents. Surveys were mailed in July 2001, and up to 5 reminders were sent to nonrespondents through November 2001. Of
RESULTS
The characteristics of the respondents were similar to the known characteristics of the AAP membership, and are consistent with those of other recent periodic surveys.22, 23 The eligible respondents had an average age of 42 years and 54% were female. About one-third practiced in the suburbs, 31% in an urban, noninner city area, 24% in an inner city area, and 10% were in rural areas. The majority of their patients were Caucasian (52%), African American (21%), or Hispanic (19%). Payment for care
DISCUSSION
As more patients use CAM, pediatricians are asked more questions about therapies that may not have been covered in medical school or residency training. This is the first national survey of pediatricians' attitudes about CAM therapies. Although pediatricians recognize their responsibility to discuss all relevant therapies with patients, and recognize patients' interest in many CAM therapies, most pediatricians do not feel comfortable discussing these therapies unless they've had personal
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank Sanford Sharp for assistance with data collection and analysis. This study was supported in part by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, Ill, and in part by NIH NCCAM R25 AT000538. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not represent policies of the AAP.
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