Integrated medicine

Brien et al interviewed 35 patients who were using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in parallel with orthodox medicine.1 They state that ‘there has been no direct research into how individuals use CAM and OM (orthodox medicine) in relation to each other …’. This may not be entirely correct. In 1997, we published a survey of 3384 arthritis sufferers and analysed the data of 496 patients using both orthodox medicine and CAM.2 Our results suggested that orthodox medicine was generally perceived as more effective but the therapeutic encounters with providers of CAM were perceived as more satisfying. For instance, 64% of patients felt that CAM clinicians spent enough time with them, while, for orthodox doctors, the figure was only 45%. Brien at al1 show that, predictably, patients use CAM and orthodox medicine in ‘different ways’. I suggest that our 1997 findings2 go some way in explaining why.

• © British Journal of General Practice, April 2011