Ben-Arye Eran, Frenkel Moshe
Complementary and Traditional Medicine Unit, Department of Family Medicine, Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Integr Cancer Ther. 2004 Sep;3(3):208-13. doi: 10.1177/1534735404267749.
In recent years, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has become popular with the general public. Many cancer patients use CAM, usually without their physicians' knowledge. The importance of discussing CAM with cancer patients is increasingly acknowledged. Unfortunately, there is little information available about teaching and increasing physicians' knowledge about these therapies. In a preliminary trial addressing this lack of information, a course about the role of CAM in the treatment of cancer was designed and administered to primary care physicians. The course evolved as a response to an interest that was acknowledged among practicing family physicians and residents. The course involved family physicians, patients, and CAM practitioners. The main focus of the course was to enhance physicians' understanding and attentiveness to patients' reasons for using CAM, as well as education about the variety of CAM practices patients are using. The course consisted of biweekly meetings in which practitioners and patients brought their experience and practice. The course outcome was evaluated with an analysis of precourse and postcourse questionnaires. After completing the course, the participants reported that they were more open and able to talk about CAM with their patients and that they felt more prepared to treat patients with cancer, in general. This introductory course appears to be a first step in bridging some of the gaps between the popularity of CAM among cancer patients and primary care physicians' knowledge related to CAM in cancer care.
近年来，补充和替代医学（CAM）在普通大众中颇受欢迎。许多癌症患者使用补充和替代医学，通常未告知其医生。与癌症患者讨论补充和替代医学的重要性日益得到认可。不幸的是，关于教导医生并增加他们对这些疗法的了解的信息很少。在一项针对这一信息匮乏问题的初步试验中，设计并为初级保健医生开设了一门关于补充和替代医学在癌症治疗中作用的课程。该课程是应执业家庭医生和住院医生中公认的兴趣而发展起来的。该课程涉及家庭医生、患者和补充和替代医学从业者。课程的主要重点是增强医生对患者使用补充和替代医学原因的理解和关注，以及对患者所使用的各种补充和替代医学疗法的教育。课程包括每两周一次的会议，从业者和患者在会上分享他们的经验和做法。通过对课程前和课程后问卷的分析来评估课程效果。完成课程后，参与者报告称他们更愿意并能够与患者谈论补充和替代医学，并且总体上觉得自己更有准备治疗癌症患者。这门入门课程似乎是弥合补充和替代医学在癌症患者中的普及程度与初级保健医生在癌症护理中与补充和替代医学相关知识之间差距的第一步。
