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Complementary Medicines: Information Use and Needs of Australian Health Professionals

Complementary medicines are also known as traditional, natural or alternative medicines and include herbal medicines, vitamin and mineral supplements, other nutritional supplements, traditional medicines such as Ayurvedic medicines and traditional Chinese medicines and homoeopathic medicines.

The aim of this research was to provide a better understanding of current Australian general practitioners' and pharmacists' attitudes to complementary medicines, and their information needs and preferences. The research investigated these health professionals’ knowledge and attitudes regarding complementary medicines, how they currently seek and assess the quality of information about complementary medicines, and their preferences for future complementary medicines information content.

This research took a multi-method approach, including national cross-sectional postal surveys to GPs and pharmacists and 12 focus groups. 1178 GPs and the 265 community pharmacists participated in the surveys. Six semi-structured focus groups were held with 48 GPs and another six with 63 community pharmacists.

Summary of key findings

  • About 90% of GPs and almost all community pharmacists had recommended at least one complementary medicine in the last 12 months. More than three-quarters of GPs and community pharmacists had recommended vitamins, minerals, fish oil and glucosamine
  • Only about half of the surveyed GPs incorporated questioning about complementary medicines use always or often when taking a medication history for a new patient
  • Around 40% of GPs and community pharmacists felt they were confident discussing complementary medicines with patients
  • Many GPs and pharmacists were not aware of the side effects of some commonly used complementary medicines and their potential interactions with conventional medicines. Only 38% of GPs and 44% of community pharmacists were aware that black cohosh has been linked to liver damage
  • GPs and pharmacists drew their information on complementary medicines from a range of sources, with a number of these sources perceived as being of little use
  • GPs and pharmacists described a need for future resources to be quickly accessible, brief, credible in authorship and regularly updated
  • GPs and pharmacists had a wide range of preferences for how information about complementary medicines could be provided during a consultation with a patient and as part of their professional development.

Gaps in the quality use of complementary medicines

This research showed that many GPs and pharmacists:

  • Did not always discuss the use of complementary medicines with their patients and were often unaware of complementary medicines use by their patients
  • Often looked for information on the safety and benefits of complementary medicines, but were often not satisfied with the information they found
  • Wanted to learn more about complementary medicines
  • Were not aware of many independent reliable sources of information on complementary medicines
  • Were not aware of the side effects of some commonly used complementary medicines and their potential interactions with conventional medicines
  • Were not confident in discussing complementary medicines with their patients.

Errata

This page contains the most up-to-date version of the report with integrated errata. Errata are also available for separate download.

Date published: 2008-12-11 00:00:00

Reasonable care is taken to provide accurate information at the date of creation. This information is not intended as a substitute for medical advice from a qualified health professional. Health professionals should rely on their own expertise and enquiries when providing medical advice or treatment. Where permitted by law, NPS disclaims all liability (including for negligence) for any loss, damage or injury resulting from reliance on or use of this information. Read our full disclaimer.

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