HEALTH SERVICE RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION ABSTRACTS
Please note: All posters will be displayed in
Salons 10-12.
FRIDAY, 5:45-6:30 PM
Vohra S, Amernic H, Adams D*, Stein T, Best S, Humphreys
K.
CAM providers and children in their care: a survey of
naturopaths, osteopaths, and chiropractors.
CARE Program, Department of Pediatrics, University
of Alberta svohra@ualberta.ca
*Presenting author
PURPOSE: To assess the knowledge, attitudes,
and behaviour of osteopaths, naturopaths, and chiropractors with regards
to children in their practice.
METHODS: Three profession-specific surveys were
developed by a multidisciplinary team, which included expertise in osteopathy,
naturopathy, chiropractic, pediatrics, and survey methodology. Items
were generated based on literature review and expert opinion, and consensus
was reached for each question and corresponding response options. The
surveys were piloted within each profession, and refined prior to distribution.
French translation was conducted, with back translation to ensure accuracy.
The survey was distributed by corresponding professional colleges in
Ontario and Quebec (Canada). Domains assessed included: provider demographics
(gender, year of graduation, size of community), practice pattern (number
and age of children seen, sources of referral, most common pediatric
conditions seen), knowledge (educational background, pediatric training),
attitudes to common pediatric issues (e.g. immunizations), and behaviour
towards children in their care (e.g. most common therapies used, if
modified for pediatric use, etc.). Each respondent was also asked to
comment on how they would manage three case scenarios of common pediatric
conditions.
RESULTS: Response rates were 107/347 (31%) for
osteopaths, 163/453 (36%) for naturopaths, and 218/500 (44%) for chiropractors.
Most respondents had graduated from the participating CAM college within
the last 10 years. Although most respondents identified one semester
or less of formal pediatric education during their training, and rated
their hands-on clinical training in pediatrics as inadequate, many of
them had attended additional pediatric courses/seminars and felt comfortable
treating pediatric patients. Almost all practitioners treat children
of all ages (newborn through to adolescence) in their practice, but
infrequently (i.e. <10 pediatrics patients/week). A wide range of pediatric
conditions are assessed by each profession. A series of questions related
to vaccination safety and efficacy were posed, to allow comparison with
previous CAM provider surveys.
CONCLUSIONS: Practitioners overwhelmingly recommend
additional pediatric training at their professional colleges. Since
nearly all providers see children in their practice, it is important
for pediatric institutions to work with CAM colleges to ensure important
issues in pediatric health care are covered during their curriculum.
Back