Predictors of the intention to use integrative medicine in psychiatric hospitals

The present study aimed to examine the influence of psychosocial and demographic factors on health professionals' intention to integrate complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) into hospital-based psychiatric clinical practice. It also sought to validate the theoretical model derived from our previous exploratory study.

A cross-sectional survey study using an online questionnaire sent to 4111 potential participants based on an adapted version of Triandis' Theory of Interpersonal Behaviour (TIB).

Participants reported high levels of positive attitudes towards CIM, with 61.6 % of the 1561 respondents reporting previous use in clinical practice and 37.8 % having received formal CIM training. Analysis of professionals' intention to use CIM revealed four influential psychosocial factors - affect, perceived social norms, descriptive norms and past behaviour (p < 0.0001) - and three significant demographic factors - older age, a managerial position and fewer years of clinical practice (p < 0.05). With an area under the ROC curve of 95.53 %, the resulting model showed high discriminatory power and excellent fit.

These findings highlight the need for a supportive institutional environment to promote CIM. This requires the support of a wide range of professional leaders and the promotion of a shared CIM culture among healthcare professionals and interdisciplinary discussions.