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Unconventional medicine teaching at the Universities of the European Union
L Barberis1, E de Toni, M Schiavone
1Cardiac Surgery Unit, Gaslini Children's Hospital Genoa, Italy. lucabarberis@smartino.ge.it
Context:
The recent rapid increase in demand for and use of unconventional medicine requires an adequate medical education. In the United States, 64% of medical schools offer undergraduate courses. No information is available about similar courses at European universities.
Objectives:
To document the incidence of educational courses on unconventional medicine offered by the European universities and their topic content.
Design:
Mail survey, which consisted of two questionnaires and was conducted in 1999 (January-June). The first questionnaire was sent to the universities' Rectorats, the second one to the faculties or lecturers indicated by the replies to the first questionnaire.
Participants:
The Universities listed by the Confederation of European Union Rectors' Conference.
Main Outcome Measures:
Courses offered at European Universities, both at medical faculties and at other faculties.
Results:
Five hundred and fifty (550) universities were contacted. Replies were received from 326 (59%); 141 have a faculty of medicine and 107 (76%) of them replied. We also received answers from 29 faculties of health sciences. In addition we received 190 (50%) answers from 380 other miscellaneous universities. Courses on unconventional medicine were offered by 43 (40%) medical schools, 21 (72%) health sciences faculties, and by 15 (8%) other faculties. Topics covered encompassed a wide range of techniques (33), from homeopathy to shamanism.
Conclusions:
Unconventional medicine courses are widely represented at European universities. They cover a wide range of therapies. Many of them are used clinically. Research work is underway at several faculties.