A new online resource, designed to give healthcare providers easy access to evidence-based information on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), has been revealed by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
 
With this new resource, providers will have the tools necessary to learn about the various CAM practices and products and be better able to discuss the safety and effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine with their patients.
 
The portal on the NCCAM website at nccam.nih.gov is tailored to fit the needs of all healthcare providers, including physicians, nurses and nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and CAM providers. It includes information on the safety and efficacy of a range of common health practices that lie outside of mainstream medicine—natural products, such as dietary supplements, herbs and probiotics, as well as mind-body practices such as meditation, chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage.
 
This resource was developed based on a series of NCCAM-sponsored focus groups where healthcare providers identified the need for an evidence-based, one-stop place to help answer their patients’ questions on CAM. With this need in mind, NCCAM developed a resource that provides reliable, objective, and evidenced-based information on CAM, including:
 
• links to relevant clinical practice guidelines
• safety and effectiveness information
• links to systematic reviews
• summaries of research studies
• scientific literature searches
• programs for continuing education credit
• patient fact sheets
 
Americans annually spend nearly $34 billion out-of-pocket on CAM products and practices. Surveys show that nearly 40% of American adults and 12% of American children use some form of CAM. Other surveys show that patients do not regularly discuss these practices with their healthcare providers. In fact, a recent study of Americans aged 50 and older found that overall two-thirds of respondents had not discussed CAM with their healthcare provider.
 
“NCCAM is charged to study and provide evidence-based information on the safety and efficacy of CAM health practices that are readily available and already used by a great number of people,” said Josephine Briggs, MD, director of NCCAM. “As a physician, I understand the need to have easily accessible and accurate information on all health practices. This Web resource is a way for NCCAM to share this valuable information with all providers.”