Alternative therapies increasing, survey shows
Alternative therapies increasing, survey shows
Nearly 70% of participants in Contraceptive Technology Update’s 2000 Contraception Survey report that the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is becoming accepted in their practice or facility.
More than half of survey respondents in 1999 said the use of alternative medicine was becoming a concern in their practice. However, many of those respondents suggested that the word "concern" be replaced by "accepted," as both patients and providers are moving toward increased acceptance of alternative medicine. That upward movement continues a growing trend, as just 28% of 1998 responses reported CAM use.
Patients frequently are more than willing to pay for alternative therapies, even when they are not a covered benefit under their insurance carriers, reports Pamela Porter, PA-C, CRN, FNP, MSN, a clinician at Woodland (CA) Healthcare, a multispecialty clinic.
Businesses are moving toward adding cover- age for CAM, according to a survey of 400 organizations by the Scottsdale, AZ-based American Compensation Association (ACA, now known as WorldatWork).1 Almost half of respondents to that survey said they offer CAM benefits, including coverage for acupressure and acupuncture, nutritional therapy, and massage therapy.
About one-quarter of participants in the 2000 Contraception Survey say their facilities are now using or planning to add herbal medicine to the list of services. About 17% said chiropractic care is an upcoming or existing service, with 10.4% reporting massage/touch therapy is available or planned.
Those findings fall in line with the covered services named in the ACA survey.1 That survey listed chiropractic care as the most common CAM benefit, with 37% of respondents covering it. Other covered services included acupressure/acupuncture (16%), nutritional therapy (13%), massage therapy (10%), stress management (10%), biofeedback (3%), herbal supplements (2%), homeopathy (2%), and naturopathy (2%).
More than 40% of Americans report use of some form of alternative medicine, most frequently for chronic conditions.2 A random telephone survey of U.S. households, published in 1998, found that 42% of adults say they used some type of alternative care in the last year, including herbal therapy (17%), chiropractic (16%), massage (14%), and vitamin therapy (13%).3
Affluent, middle-age women are most likely to use some type of alternative care, according to the 1998 telephone survey.
Stay on top of changes
The best way to integrate alternative therapies into your practice is to learn more about such treatments, says Susan Wysocki, RNC, NP, president and chief executive officer of the Washington, DC-based National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH).
"Providers should know in general those things that can potentially help, those things that have no effect, those things that can harm, and those things that might have interactions with other therapies/medications," Wysocki observes.
Some U.S. health care providers already are comfortable with the idea of integrating complementary medicine into their practices, notes Wayne Shields, president and chief executive officer of the Washington, DC-based Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP).
For those who are less comfortable, the best ways to prepare for the increasing presence of alternative medicine are to accept that alternative treatments are here to stay, keep informed about them, proceed cautiously with an open mind and vigilant approach, and lobby for increased research and systems to ensure product safety, consistency, and efficacy, he says.
(Editor’s note: ARHP and NPWH will offer information on alternative therapies in upcoming meetings, as will Contraceptive Technology’s "Quest for Excellence" conference. See article, below, for registration information.)
References
1. Albertson D. Alternative medicine benefits on the rise. Employee Benefit News 2000; 14:60.
2. Eisenberg DM, Davis RB, Ettner SL, et al. Trends in alternative medicine use in the United States, 1990-1997. Results of a follow-up national survey. JAMA 1998; 280: 1,569-1,575.
3. Landmark Healthcare Inc. The Landmark Report on Public Perceptions of Alternative Care. Sacramento, CA: Landmark Health, 1998.
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