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Biomedical subjects

B Tranter

Publications and source records attributed to B Tranter.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

General practitioners' attitudes toward complementary therapies.

Attitudes toward complementary therapies were elicited from a postal survey of all identified general practitioners in the state of Tasmania, Australia. Regression analysis of the data indicated that demographic features associated with favourable attitudes were younger age and location in small or single practices. Personal experiences of such therapies or patient endorsement of them were also associated with favourable attitudes. Those who saw the holistic orientation of complementary medicine as an advantage were likely to hold favourable attitudes. Those who saw the cure rate of complementary therapies as problematic and/or had personal knowledge of the harmful effects of such therapies were less likely to have favourable attitudes.

Adult↗

Normal medical practice of referring patients for complementary therapies among Australian general practitioners.

OBJECTIVES: Assessing the extent to which general practitioners (GPs) accept complementary therapies as normal medical practice. DESIGN: An examination of two Australian surveys of GPs undertaken in Tasmania and Victoria in 1997. OUTCOME MEASURES: Type of referral (to doctors or non-medical therapists) and therapy. Levels of acceptance. Basis for judgement of acceptability. RESULTS: In Tasmania 66% of GPs referred patients to doctors - primarily for acupuncture and hypnotherapy. Fifty-five per cent referred patients to non-medical practitioners - primarily for chiropractic, massage and osteopathy. In Victoria the rate of referral was 93%. Most GPs accepted acupuncture as a normal, but not orthodox, therapy. There are varying levels of acceptance of other complementary therapies and GPs judge by assessing safety and therapeutic value. CONCLUSION: Some complementary therapies are clearly part of normal, if not orthodox, practice in Australia. Discussion of complementary therapies in medicine must consider the differential levels of acceptance of different therapies.

Adult↗