Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2003; 8: 499–500
To investigate gender differences in medical students’ attitudes towards the teaching of CAM within the undergraduate medical curriculum
A questionnaire was given to all years 1, 2 and 3 students in the second week of January 2003. Seven closed questions asked about socio-demographic data; attitudes towards the role of CAM in health care; how much and what type of CAM teaching medical students should receive. For attitudinal questions students were asked to rate their responses on a five-point scale (1 = strongly disagree, to 5 = strongly agree). Data were analysed using SPSS and non-parametric analyses (χ2, Mann–Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis).
A total of 669 students responded (year 1, 254/290, 88%; year 2, 244/260, 94%; year 3, 172/175, 98%) with more female (426/669, 64.6%) than male (35.6%, 236/669) respondents. Of students, 69% (445/669) agreed in the theory of CAM and 35.3% (234/635) agreed that the practice of CAM should be taught to undergraduate medical students. Enthusiasm for practical teaching declined as students progressed through the course; 40% (266/661) felt that a single seminar of 1–2 h was appropriate and 47% (309/661) opted for 3–10 h teaching. Females were more positive to CAM overall than males; to individual therapies; to learning about both the theory and practice of CAM; to the amount of teaching they should receive.
Students desired to further their knowledge about the theory rather than the practice of CAM. Gender was a greater determinant of attitude towards CAM than length of undergraduate medical training. Female students were more positive than male students towards all aspects of CAM surveyed.
