An Evaluation of the Attitudes and Beliefs of Physicians and Pharmacists towards Complementary and Alternative Medicine Based on CAMBI and another Instrument

Aims: To investigate the attitudes and beliefs of physicians and pharmacists towards Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) using two instruments: the Complementary and Alternative Belief Inventory (CAMBI) and the Attitudes to Alternative Medicine.

Study Design: This was a cross-sectional study of registered physicians and pharmacists attending their conferences or Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE) sessions in Guyana.

Place and Duration of Study: Pharmacists attending their first CPE for 2015 and physicians at their annual Medical Conference participated.

Methodology: A pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire was used and 274 persons (140 physicians and 134 pharmacists) participated. One section of the questionnaire, utilised the CAMBI to measure three constructs: beliefs in holistic health, natural treatments, and participation in treatment. The other section focused on attitudes to Alternative Medicine. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and structural equations modelling were employed in the analysis of the data.

Results: For the CAMBI, a final model was obtained following the removal of several items that lacked validity and statistical significance. Most of the participants (56%) were 20-30 years old and most (52%) of them had 5 years or less professional experience. Overall, the participants were not closed to the use of CAM but there was some scepticism. Physicians believed more strongly in holistic health than pharmacists, but the latter group showed a more positive attitude to involvement in the CAM environment. Attitudes were not affected by age nor area of practice but were influenced by profession, gender, ethnicity, years of professional service and whether or not they attended the local university.

Conclusion: The CAMBI performed poorly and would have to be revised to suit the local context in future studies. Overall, most participants had some reservations about CAM. Emphasis on holistic health and CAM should be prioritised in any training at the undergraduate level or any continuing education sessions.