This article is part of the supplement: Scientific Abstracts Presented at the International Research Congress on Integrative Medicine and Health 2012

Open Access Poster presentation

P04.83. What factors influence the use of integrative medicine (IM) modalities by infectious disease (ID) physicians?

K Shere-Wolfe1*, J Tilburt2, C D'Adamo1, B Berman1 and M Chesney3

  • * Corresponding author: K Shere-Wolfe

Author Affiliations

1 University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA

2 Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA

3 University of California, San Franscisco, USA

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BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2012, 12(Suppl 1):P353 doi:10.1186/1472-6882-12-S1-P353


The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/12/S1/P353


Published:12 June 2012

© 2012 Shere-Wolfe et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Purpose

The purpose was to assess factors that may influence the use of IM modalities by ID physicians in their practice.

Methods

In a 2010 national survey of 1000 practicing ID physicians, participants were asked to report the extent (major, minor or not at all) to which the following considerations played a role in their recommendation/referral of IM modalities: (1) Knowledge of how and when to use them; (2) Amount of clinical research showing clear benefit; (3) Insurance; (4) Cost; (5) Reliable referral base; (6) Concern for professional reputation; (7) Fear of judgment from colleagues; (8) Insufficient regulatory oversight of supplements; and (9) Potential drug interactions with botanicals/supplements.

Results

A total of 311 (31%) ID physicians responded to the survey. The mean age was 49 and 64% of respondents were male. Their responses to the questions are listed below.

Table 1.

Conclusion

For ID physicians, factors that were considered a major influence on the use of IM modalities included: potential drug interactions, clinical research, knowledge of IM modalities, and regulatory oversight. Factors that played a minor/no role in the use of IM modalities included fear of judgment and concern for professional reputation.