Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies are non-traditional health services including acupuncture, homeopathy, massage therapy, chiropractic, diet and lifestyle changes, and herbal medicine. According to a 2002 survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 50 percent of Americans believe that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies are useful when combined with conventional medicine. Now a recent survey reports that more hospitals are offering CAM therapies.
The poll, conducted and published by the American Hospital Association, surveyed more than 6,000 U.S. hospitals in December, 2005. The researchers found that more than 25 percent of U.S. hospitals are offering CAM therapies. The percentage of hospitals offering CAM services increased from 8% in 1998 to 27% in 2005.
"More and more, patients are requesting care beyond what most consider to be traditional health services," says researchers Sita Ananth and William Martin, PsyD, in a news release. "And hospitals are responding to the needs of the communities they serve by offering these therapies."
The survey also reported:
1. CAM therapies offered in hospitals were the most common in the Midwest, less common on the West Coast, and the least common in the South.
2. The most common CAM outpatient therapies offered in hospitals included (from most to least): massage therapy, tai chi/yoga/chi gong, relaxation training, acupuncture, guided imagery, and therapeutic touch.
3. The most common CAM inpatient therapies offered in hospitals included (from most to least): massage therapy, music/art therapy, therapeutic touch, guided imagery, relaxation training and acupuncture.
4. CAM therapies were most offered in urban hospitals that were large or medium-sized (more than 100 beds).
5. Thirty seven percent of hospitals offered CAM therapies in a wellness or fitness center.
6. Medical insurance did not pay for most CAM therapies.
REFERENCES:
1. Ananth, S. Health Forum 2005 Complementary and Alternative Medicine Survey of Hospitals. American Hospital Association, News release, July 19, 2006.
Posted by Elaine Gavalas on November 29, 2006 03:03 PM
