Complement Ther Med. 2000 Dec; 8(4): 226-33.

Normal medical practice of referring patients for complementary therapies among Australian general practitioners.

Easthope G, Tranter B, Gill G.

School of Sociology and Social Work, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania. Gary.Easthope@utas.edu.au

OBJECTIVES: Assessing the extent to which general practitioners (GPs) accept complementary therapies as normal medical practice. DESIGN: An examination of two Australian surveys of GPs undertaken in Tasmania and Victoria in 1997. OUTCOME MEASURES: Type of referral (to doctors or non-medical therapists) and therapy. Levels of acceptance. Basis for judgement of acceptability. RESULTS: In Tasmania 66% of GPs referred patients to doctors - primarily for acupuncture and hypnotherapy. Fifty-five per cent referred patients to non-medical practitioners - primarily for chiropractic, massage and osteopathy. In Victoria the rate of referral was 93%. Most GPs accepted acupuncture as a normal, but not orthodox, therapy. There are varying levels of acceptance of other complementary therapies and GPs judge by assessing safety and therapeutic value. CONCLUSION: Some complementary therapies are clearly part of normal, if not orthodox, practice in Australia. Discussion of complementary therapies in medicine must consider the differential levels of acceptance of different therapies.Copyright 2000 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.