Health care providers and patients in the US are being encouraged to discuss the subject of CAMS by The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). As part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), NCCAM has launched Time to Talk, an educational campaign to encourage patients -particularly those age 50 or older - and their health care providers to openly discuss the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAM is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine, such as herbal supplements, meditation, naturopathy, and acupuncture.
According to a national consumer survey conducted by NCCAM and AARP, almost
two-thirds of people age 50 or older are using some form of CAM, yet less than
one-third of these CAM users talk about it with their health-care providers. The NCCAM/AARP survey revealed some reasons why this doctor-patient dialogue about CAM does not occur. The most common reasons survey respondents cited were:
* That the physician never asked
* They did not know they should discuss CAM
* There was not enough time during the office visit.
More than one-half of respondents who had talked about CAM with their physician
said they (not their physician) initiated the CAM discussion. The telephone
survey was administered to a nationally representative group of 1,559 people age
50 or older.
"In an era of genomics and personalized medicine, we need to remember that a key
ingredient to good health care is the dialogue you, as a patient, have with your
providers," said Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., NIH Director. "And talking about what
CAM therapies you use is an important part of that discussion. This is important
for people of all ages."
The Time to Talk campaign is aimed at addressing the need for this dialogue to
help ensure safe, coordinated care among all conventional and CAM therapies.
Talking not only allows integrated care, it also minimizes risks of interactions
with a patient's conventional treatments. When patients tell their providers
about their CAM use, they can more effectively manage their health. When
providers ask their patients about CAM use, they can ensure that they are fully
informed and can help patients make wise health care decisions.
"As frequent users of CAM, people 50 and older need to understand the importance
of discussing CAM use with their providers to ensure coordinated, safe care.
Simply put, it's time to talk," said Josephine P. Briggs, M.D., NCCAM Director.
"Giving your health care providers a full picture of what you do to manage your
health helps you stay in control."
NCCAM's Time to Talk campaign encourages patients to tell their providers about
CAM use and providers to ask about it by offering tools and resources-such as
wallet cards, posters, and tip sheets-all of which are available for free on the
NCCAM Web site. NCCAM is reaching out to professional associations and
consumer organizations to help educate their members about the importance of
this dialogue and the availability of NCCAM's campaign materials. As the Federal
government's lead agency for scientific research on CAM, NCCAM is committed to
educating both consumers and health care providers about the importance of
discussing CAM and providing evidence-based information to help with health care
decision making.
Patient Tips for Discussing CAM with Providers
* When completing patient history forms, be sure to include all therapies and
treatments you use. Make a list in advance.
* Tell your health care providers about all therapies or treatments-including
over-the-counter and prescription medicines, as well as herbal and dietary
supplements.
* Take control. Don't wait for your providers to ask about your CAM use.
* If you are considering a new CAM therapy, ask your health care providers about
its safety, effectiveness, and possible interactions with medicines (both
prescription and over-the-counter).
Provider Tips for Discussing CAM with Patients
* Include a question about CAM use on medical history forms.
* Ask your patients to bring a list of all therapies they use, including
prescription, over-the-counter, herbal therapies, and other CAM practices.
* Have your medical staff initiate the conversation.
For more information on Time to Talk, to order or download materials, or to read
the full NCCAM/AARP report on CAM use communication, please visit
nccam.nih.gov/timetotalk/.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine's mission is to
explore complementary and alternative medical practices in the context of
rigorous science, train CAM researchers, and disseminate authoritative
information to the public and professionals. For additional information, visit the NCCAM Web site at http://nccam.nih.gov/.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH)-The Nation's Medical Research
Agency-includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for
conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research,
and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare
diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov/.