title: Availability of complementary and alternative medicine for people with cancer in the British National Health Service: results of a national survey.
abstract: This study assessed access to Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) therapies for people with cancer within the British National Health Service. CAM units were identified through an internet search in 2009. A total of 142 units, providing 62 different therapies, were identified: 105 (74.0%) England; 23 (16.2%) Scotland; 7 (4.9%) each in Wales and Northern Ireland. Most units provide a small number of therapies (median 4, range 1-20), and focus on complementary, rather than alternative approaches. Counselling is the most widely provided therapy (available at 82.4% of identified units), followed by reflexology (62.0%), aromatherapy (59.1%), reiki (43.0%), massage (42.2%). CAM units per million of the population varied between countries (England: 2.2; Wales: 2.3; Scotland: 4.8; Northern Ireland: 5.0), and within countries. Better publicity for CAM units, greater integration of units in conventional cancer treatment centres may help improve access to CAMs.
authors.affiliation: Food Consumer Behaviour and Health Research Centre, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, England, UK. m.egan@surrey.ac.uk
authors.forename: Bernadette
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Egan
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gage
authors.forename: Jackie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hood
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Poole
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McDowell
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maguire
authors.forename: Lesley
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Storey
mesh_terms: D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013222:State Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom