Abstract

The fields of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and its evolving progeny, integrative medicine (IM), have become highly visible areas in clinical care as well as education and research. Although patient use of alternative therapies has been very high in multiple surveys, physician knowledge in these areas has sometimes lagged. Frankly, evidence in many so-called CAM therapies has in the past been thin or based on suboptimally designed or underpowered studies. This has further fueled physician concerns about safety and efficacy of certain alternative therapies. Another issue is that we as clinicians may sometimes feel “deskilled” when a patient arrives with a sheaf of Internet printouts, books, articles, and so forth about a product or therapy we know little about. This role reversal from expert to partner in decision-making can be challenging in the contemporary medical encounter, as can finding reliable information. Yet, questions on these topic areas now appear on United States Medical Licensing Examinations (USMLE), shelf examinations for students and house staff, and specialty board examinations such as internal medicine and family practice