Attitudes toward integrative paediatrics: a national survey among youth health care physicians in the Netherlands

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Silvia van den Heijkant³  Désirée van der Veer⁴  Susan Huttenhuis²  Marja van Vliet²  Miek C Jong¹ 

[1] Department Health Sciences, Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall, Sweden;Department Healthcare and Nutrition, Louis Bolk Institute, Driebergen, the Netherlands;Department of Public and Occupational Health, EMGO + Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University medical centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands;Community Healthcare centre Twente (GGD), Enschede, the Netherlands

关键词: Youth Healthcare;    Attitudes;    Integrative Paediatrics;    National survey;   

Others  :  1232878
DOI  :  10.1186/1472-6882-12-4

 received in 2011-07-26, accepted in 2012-01-16,  发布年份 2012

【 摘 要 】

Background

Integrative Medicine (IM) is an emerging field in paediatrics, especially in the USA. The purpose of the present study was to assess the attitudes and beliefs of Youth Health Care (YHC) physicians in the Netherlands toward IM in paediatrics.

Methods

In October 2010, a link to an anonymous, self-reporting, 30-item web-based questionnaire was mailed to all members of the Dutch Organisation of YHC physicians. The questionnaire included questions on familiarity with IM, attitudes towards Integrative Paediatrics (IP), use and knowledge of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), demographic and practice characteristics.

Results

A total of 276 YHC physicians (response rate of 27%) responded to the survey. Of the respondents, 52% was familiar with IM and 56% had used some kind of CAM therapy during the past 2 years, of which self-medicated herbal and/or homeopathic remedies (61%) and supplements (50%) were most frequently mentioned. Most of the YHC physicians (62%) seldom asked parents of clients about CAM use. One third of the YHC physicians recommended CAM to their clients. In general, about 50% or more of the respondents had little knowledge of CAM therapies. Predictors for a positive attitude towards IP were familiarity with IM, own CAM use, asking their clients about CAM use and practising one or more forms of CAM therapy. Logistic regression analysis showed that the following factors were associated with a higher recommendation to CAM therapies: own CAM use (odds ratio (OR) = 3.8; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.1-6.9, p = 0.001) and practising CAM (OR 4.4; 95% CI = 1.6-11.7, p = 0.003).

Conclusions

In general Dutch YHC physicians have a relative positive attitude towards IP; more than half of the respondents used one or more forms of CAM and one third recommended CAM therapies. However, the majority of YHC physicians did not ask their clients about CAM use and seemed to have a lack of knowledge regarding CAM.

【 授权许可】

   
2012 Jong et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 参考文献 】

• [1]Maizes V, Rakel D, Niemiec C: Integrative medicine and client-centered care. Explore (NY) 2009, 5(5):277-289.
• [2]Bell IR, Caspi O, Schwartz GER, Grant KL, et al.: Integrative Medicine and Systematic Outcomes Research: Issues in the Emergence of a New Model for Primary Health Care. Arch Intern Med 2002, 162(2):133-140.
• [3]Snyderman R, Weil AT: Integrative Medicine Bringing Medicine Back to Its Roots. Arch Intern Med 2002, 162(4):395-397.
• [4]Consortium of Academic Health Centers For Integrative Medicine: Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine. 2010. Available at: http://www.imconsortium.org/about/home.html webcite. Accessed 05/01, 2004
• [5]Rosen LD: Integrative pediatrics: the future is now. Altern Ther Health Med 2009, 15(5):12-4.
• [6]Horrigan BJ: Integrative pediatrics coming of age. Explore (NY) 2007, 3(2):91-2.
• [7]Von Rosenstiel I, Schats W, Bongers K, Jong MC: Integrative Paediatrics: a Dutch Experience. Focus on Alternative Complementary Therapies 2011, 16(1):22-27.
• [8]Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek: Gebruik van medische voorzieningen; vanaf 1981. 2009. Available at http://statline.cbs.nl/StatWeb/publication/?DM=SLNL&PA=7042mc&D1=0-380&D2=0-1,5,10,15,20,25-29&VW=T webcite. Accessed 05/01, 2005
• [9]Vlieger AM, van de Putte EM, Hoeksma H: The use of complementary and alternative medicine in children at a general paediatric clinic and parental reasons for use. Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd 2006, 150(11):625-630.
• [10]Vlieger AM, van Vliet M, Jong MC: Attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine: a national survey among paediatricians in the Netherlands. Eur J Pediatr 2010.
• [11]NCJ: CentrumJeugdgezondheid, richtlijnen. 2011. Available at: http://www.ncj.nl/bibliotheek/richtlijnen/details/9/handleiding-aandachtspunten-preventieve-mondzorg-0-19-jaar-voor-de-jgz webcite. Accessed 10/01, 2010
• [12]Hirasing RA, Ivan Zaal MAE, Meulmeester JF, Verbrugge JF: Child health in the Netherlands. ERIC Clearing house 1997.
• [13]Wieske RC, Nijnuis MG, Carmiggelt BC, Wagenaar-Fischer MM, Boere-Boonekamp MM: Preventive youth health care in 11 European countries: an exploratory analysis. Int J Public Health 2011.
• [14]Jong MC, Hofstede AM, Schats W, Meijer JEM, Koolen R, von Rosenstiel IA: Attitudes towards Integrative Medicine among Healthcare Professionals in the Netherlands. European Journal of Integrative Medicine 2011. Online pub.
• [15]NCCAMdefinition: http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/ webcite
• [16]Kemper KJ, O'Connor KG: Pediatricians' recommendations for complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies. Ambul Pediatr 2004, 4(6):482-487.
• [17]Sawni A, Thomas R: Pediatricians' attitudes, experience and referral patterns regarding Complementary/Alternative Medicine: a national survey. BMC Complemen. Altern.Med 2007., 7
• [18]Lim A, Cranswick N, South M: Adverse events associated with the use of complementary and alternative medicine in Children. Arch Dis Child 2011, 96:297-300.
• [19]Vlieger AM, Benninga MA: Complementary therapies for pediatric functional gastrointestinal disorders. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2008, 47(5):707-709.
• [20]Palm Ineke, Leeuwemburgh Nathalie: Kansen voor alle kinderen? SP. 2009, 1(1):8-73. 11-2009;
• [21]Kundu A, Tassone RF, Jimenez N, Seidel K, Valentine JK, Pagel PS: Attitudes, patterns of recommendation, and communication of pediatric providers about complementary and alternative medicine in a large metropolitan children's hospital. Clin Pediatr (Phila) 2011, 50(2):153-8. Epub 2010 Dec 2.