Characterizing complementary and alternative medicine practices to identify opportunities for health promotion

Introduction: Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) practitioners are an important part of US healthcare, and well-positioned to address chronic disease risk factors and promote evidence-informed/guideline-based treatments within the context of patient/client care and scope of practice. An understanding of CAM practice organization and patterns is critical to identify appropriate opportunities for practice-based public health research and programs. This presentation will present data from a survey of CAM practices and discuss implications and strategies for public health research and practice. Methods: Cross sectional telephone survey of acupuncturists (Ac's), massage therapists(MT's) and chiropractors in a southwestern metro area, querying practice characteristics, organization and patient/client flow. The DC survey will be completed in February 2013. Results: Most Ac's (80.6%) and MT's (59.1%) have one practice location. The majority of Ac's practices (70.1%) were solo, while MTs practices were more evenly split between solo (53.3%) and group practices (46.7%). A minority of Ac's (17.2%) and MT's (27.9%) practices were home-based. Locations with >1 practitioner tended to include other CAM and non-CAM practitioner types. Practice business models were heterogeneous, e.g. sole proprietor, employee, partner, independent contractor. Patient/Client volume was highly variable: (Ac's μ=9.83, σ=8.58 patients/week; MTs μ=9.83, σ=8.58 clients/week), with few new patients/clients per week (Ac's μ=2.61, σ=4.54; MT: μ=2.88, σ=5.76).

Discussion: CAM practices vary across and within disciplines in ways that could significantly impact both public health research and practice. Development of practice-based public health programs must be mindful of the heterogeneity of CAM practices in order to create appropriate interventions and implementation plans.