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

Author(s): Tranter, B., Gill, G.

Abstract: 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.

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