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A review of the integration of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine into the curriculum of South African medical schools.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Traditional, complementary and alternative (TCAM) medicine is consumed by a large majority of the South African population. In the context of increasing overall demand for healthcare this paper investigates the extent to which South African medical schools have incorporated TCAM into their curriculum because of the increased legislative and policy interest in formally incorporating TCAM into the health care system since democracy in 1994. METHODS: Heads of School from seven South African medical schools were surveyed telephonically. RESULTS: One school was teaching both Traditional African Medicine (TM) and CAM, five were teaching either TM or CAM and another was not teaching any aspect of TCAM. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, there is a paucity of curricula which incorporate TCAM. Medical schools have not responded to government policies or the contextual realities by incorporating TCAM into the curriculum for their students. South African medical schools need to review their curricula to increase their students' knowledge of TCAM given the demands of the population and the legislative realities.

SUBMITTER: Chitindingu E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3939811 | biostudies-other | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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A review of the integration of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine into the curriculum of South African medical schools.

Chitindingu Ethel E George Gavin G Gow Jeff J

BMC medical education 20140228

<h4>Background</h4>Traditional, complementary and alternative (TCAM) medicine is consumed by a large majority of the South African population. In the context of increasing overall demand for healthcare this paper investigates the extent to which South African medical schools have incorporated TCAM into their curriculum because of the increased legislative and policy interest in formally incorporating TCAM into the health care system since democracy in 1994.<h4>Methods</h4>Heads of School from se ...[more]

PMID: 24575843

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Project description:OBJECTIVE:To describe the disposition and sociodemographic characteristics of medical students associated with inclusion of traditional and complementary medicine in medical school curricula in Uganda. DESIGN:A cross-sectional study conducted during May 2017. A pretested questionnaire was used to collect data. Disposition to include principles of traditional and complementary medicine into medical school curricula was determined as proportion and associated factors determined through multivariate logistic regression. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING:Medical students in their second to fifth years at the College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Uganda. Makerere University is the oldest public university in the East African region. RESULTS:393 of 395 participants responded. About 60% (192/325) of participants recommended inclusion of traditional and complementary medicine principles into medical school curricula in Uganda. The disposition to include traditional and complementary medicine into medical school curricula was not associated with sex, age group or region of origin of the students. However, compared with the second year students, the third (OR 0.34; 95% CI 0.17 to 0.66) and fifth (OR 0.39; 95% CI 0.16 to 0.93) year students were significantly less likely to recommend inclusion of traditional and complementary medicine into the medical school curricula. Participants who hold positive attributes and believe in effectiveness of traditional and complementary medicine were statistically significantly more likely to recommend inclusion into the medical school curricula in Uganda. CONCLUSIONS:Inclusion of principles of traditional and complementary medicine into medical school curricula to increase knowledge, inform practice and research, and moderate attitudes of physicians towards traditional medicine practice is acceptable by medical students at Makerere University. These findings can inform review of medical schools' curricula in Uganda.

Project description:BACKGROUND:A substantial proportion of healthcare professionals have inadequate understanding of traditional and complementary medicine and often consider their use inappropriate. METHODS:We conducted a qualitative study to understand the perceptions and attitudes of medical students, medical school faculty and traditional and complementary medicine practitioners. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect data. Thematic approach was used in data analysis to identify emerging themes and sub themes. Data analysis was supported with use of Atlas.ti v6.1.1. RESULTS:The majority of participants commended the inclusion of traditional and complementary medicine principles into medical school curricula. The main reasons advanced were that: patients are already using these medicines and doctors need to understand them; doctors would be more accommodating to use and not rebuke patients, thereby minimizing delays in care due to pursuit of alternative therapies; promote patient safety; foster therapeutic alliance and adherence to therapy; uphold patients' right to self-determination; lead to discovery of new drugs from traditional medicines; and set ground for regulation of practices and quality control. However, participants anticipated operational and ethical challenges that include inadequate number of faculty to teach the subject, congested curricula, increased costs in research and development to produce evidence-base data, obstruction by pharmaceutical companies, inaccessibility to and depletion of medicinal plants, and potential conflicts due to diversity in culture and values. A substantial minority of participants thought traditional medicine need not be taught in medical schools because there is lack of scientific evidence on efficacy, safety, and side effects profiles. These shortfalls could make the determination of benefits (beneficence) and harm (maleficence) difficult, as well as compromise the ability of physicians to adequately disclose benefits and harms to patients and family, thereby undermining the process of informed consent and patient autonomy. CONCLUSIONS:Training medical students in principles of traditional and complementary medicine is considered reasonable, feasible, and acceptable; and could lead to improvement in health outcomes. There are anticipated challenges to implementing a hybrid medical school curricula, but these are surmountable and need not delay introducing traditional and complementary medicine principles into medical school curricula in Uganda.

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A review of the integration of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine into the curriculum of South African medical schools.

Publications

A review of the integration of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine into the curriculum of South African medical schools.

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