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Medical students and acupuncture: a short sharp placement experience!
Graeme K Donald1, Peter Mackereth, Irene Tobin
1Complementary Therapy Service, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester M20 4BX, UK. graeme.donald@christie.nhs.uk
Summary
Medical students showed reduced skepticism towards complementary therapies (CTs) after a hospital placement. This experience is valuable for future doctors to provide informed advice on CTs to patients.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Complementary Therapies
- Evidence-Based Practice
Background:
- Complementary therapies (CTs) are increasingly popular, yet physician knowledge and ability to advise patients are questionable.
- Growing patient demand for integrated care necessitates better understanding of CTs by healthcare professionals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the impact of a complementary therapy service placement on medical students' attitudes.
- To assess changes in skepticism towards CTs among students after clinical exposure.
Main Methods:
- An exploratory study involving 40 medical students undertaking a placement at a UK hospital's CT service.
- Skepticism towards CTs was measured using a 0-10 scale questionnaire administered before and after the placement.
Main Results:
- A statistically significant reduction in skepticism scores was observed post-placement (p<0.001).
- 90% of respondents were exposed to acupuncture during the placement.
- 76% of students indicated the placement would influence future referral rates for CTs.
Conclusions:
- Placement in a CT service can positively alter medical students' attitudes towards these therapies.
- Such educational experiences can equip future physicians to offer more informed advice to patients regarding CTs.
- Further multi-site research with larger cohorts is recommended to validate these findings.
