Doctor’s Perception on Integrated Medicine: A Survey

Objective: To assess attitude and practice of the modern medicine practitioners towards integration of modern medicine (MM) and traditional medicine (TM) using questionnaire. Methods: A cross sectional questionnaire based study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice among doctors regarding integrated medicine. Two hundred and seven out of 250 completed questionnaires were received from various doctors from in and around Indian city Kolar and Bangalore. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square test. Results: A total of 82.8% participants responded to the questionnaire, of which 69 were general practitioners and 138 were consultants from various specialties. About 56.5% accessed the information regarding TM and had better knowledge (47%) regarding integrated medicine compared to those who didn’t (13%) (p<0.001). More than 57% opined that TM was cheap and easily accessible, however, majority of participants believed MM to be more popular (74.5%). The disadvantages reported of TM being minimum training (63.7%), unqualified traditional medicine practitioners (TMPs) (63.7%), inappropriate dose calculation (52.1%), lack of scientific evidence (57%), toxicity (42%) and unreliable diagnostic techniques (74.3%). About 71.5% doctors took history about TM use from their patients and 85.9% doctors treated them. Majority (77%) did not advise any TM. Though 81.6% had never collaborated with TMPs, 55.6% supported integration of TM with MM and believed this integrated approach would have positive impact on patients. Conclusion: Majority of modern medicine practitioners were aware of traditional medicine. They believed that adequate scientific evidence and training of TMPs is required to accept and integrate TM with MM which may help in better patient care.