Use of complementary and alternative medicine in pediatric pain management service: a survey.
OBJECTIVE
To survey the use of complementary and alternative medical therapies by pediatric pain management services affiliated with major universities.


METHODS
A telephone survey was conducted of pediatric anesthesia training programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in the United States. The survey instrument included questions on the provision of complementary and alternative medical therapies in their pediatric pain programs.


RESULTS
Forty-three pediatric anesthesia fellowship programs (100%) responded to the survey. Thirty-eight institutions (86%) offered one or more complementary and alternative medical therapies for their patients. Those therapies included biofeedback (65%), guided imagery (49%), relaxation therapy (33%), massage (35%), hypnosis (44%), acupuncture (33%), art therapy (21%), and meditation (21%).


CONCLUSIONS
This report documents trends in complementary and alternative medical therapies usage in the tertiary pediatric pain management service. There is a high prevalence in the integration of complementary and alternative medical therapies in pediatric pain management programs. Additional clinical research in the safety and efficacy in complementary and alternative medical therapies for pediatric pain management is urgently needed.
Lin
Yuan-Chi
YC
Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. yuan-chi@tch.harvard.edu
Lee
Anne C C
AC
Kemper
Kathi J
KJ
Berde
Charles B
CB
D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology; D018710:Pain Clinics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D059408:Pain Management; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology