[The use of complementary and alternative medicine in children: how to advise the parents?].
Recently it has been shown that complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) is used in about 30% of paediatric patients. Is this a problem? It has also been shown that most parents would like their paediatrician to advise them on the subject. But what can be the basis of such advice? Little is known and less has been published regarding the effectiveness of CAM. Society and the medical profession are notoriously ambiguous on the subject. Sound scientific evidence is advocated to make bold decisions on whether to allow and reimburse the use of CAM.
de Vet
H C W
HC
VU Medisch Centrum, Instituut voor Extramuraal Geneeskundig Onderzoek, Amsterdam. hcw.devet@vumc.nl
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007349:Insurance, Health, Reimbursement; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome