Intention to encourage complementary and alternative medicine among general practitioners and medical students.
The authors' goal was to identify factors explaining intention to encourage a patient to follow complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatment among general practitioners (GPs), fourth-year medical students, and residents in family medicine. They surveyed 500 GPs and 904 medical students via a self-administered mailed questionnaire that they based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. Respondents expressed a neutral level of intention to encourage CAM approach. Variables explaining 75% of variance of intention of all participants were: moral norm, beta=0.34, p<.0001; perceived behavioral control, beta=0.29, p<.0001; attitude, beta=0.22, p<.0001; descriptive norm, beta=0.13, p<.0001; and professional status, (GPs, beta=-0.07, p<.0001; residents, beta=-0.07, p<.0001). Facilitating conditions and developing a better perception of control over perceived obstacles could help enhance health-care practitioners' intentions to use CAM. Also, a clear position on the part of the medical community would help to define a professional norm in line with the moral norm.
Godin
Gaston
G
The Faculty of Nursing, Laval University, Quebec, Canada. Gaston.Godin@fsi.ulaval.ca
Beaulieu
Dominique
D
Touchette
Jean-Sébastien
JS
Lambert
Léo-Daniel
LD
Dodin
Sylvie
S
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy / Q000523:psychology; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000523:psychology*; D003625:Data Collection; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000523:psychology*; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires