TY - JOUR
T1 - Medical students' attitudes to complementary and alternative medicine
T2 - Further validation of the IMAQ and findings from an international longitudinal study
AU - Rees, Charlotte E.
AU - Wearn, Andy M.
AU - Dennis, Ian
AU - Amri, Hakima
AU - Greenfield, Sheila M.
PY - 2009/2
Y1 - 2009/2
N2 - Background: Current research mainly employs cross-sectional designs to examine changes in medical students' attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Aims: This paper reports the findings of a longitudinal study to further validate the Integrative Medicine Attitude Questionnaire (IMAQ) and examine changes in medical students' attitudes over 3 years. Methods: Atotal of 154 medical students from four schools in three countries completed a modified version of the IMAQ during their first (T1) and fourth year (T2). Results: We established the validity of a three-factor model for the IMAQ: (1) attitudes towards holism; (2) attitudes towards the effectiveness of CAM therapies, and (3) attitudes towards introspection and the doctor-patient relationship. We found that IMAQ factor scores did not differ significantly from T1 to T2, emphasizing the relative stability in attitudes across time. Various student characteristics were significantly associated with IMAQ factor scores at T2: age, gender, CAM use, CAM education and school; and two variables (gender and CAM use) predicted changes in medical students' attitudes between T1 and T2. Conclusions: We urge medical educators to continue exploring medical students' attitude changes towards CAM and we provide examples of what further research is needed.
AB - Background: Current research mainly employs cross-sectional designs to examine changes in medical students' attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Aims: This paper reports the findings of a longitudinal study to further validate the Integrative Medicine Attitude Questionnaire (IMAQ) and examine changes in medical students' attitudes over 3 years. Methods: Atotal of 154 medical students from four schools in three countries completed a modified version of the IMAQ during their first (T1) and fourth year (T2). Results: We established the validity of a three-factor model for the IMAQ: (1) attitudes towards holism; (2) attitudes towards the effectiveness of CAM therapies, and (3) attitudes towards introspection and the doctor-patient relationship. We found that IMAQ factor scores did not differ significantly from T1 to T2, emphasizing the relative stability in attitudes across time. Various student characteristics were significantly associated with IMAQ factor scores at T2: age, gender, CAM use, CAM education and school; and two variables (gender and CAM use) predicted changes in medical students' attitudes between T1 and T2. Conclusions: We urge medical educators to continue exploring medical students' attitude changes towards CAM and we provide examples of what further research is needed.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=67649973726&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/01421590802139724
DO - 10.1080/01421590802139724
M3 - Article
C2 - 18825561
AN - SCOPUS:67649973726
SN - 0142-159X
VL - 31
SP - 125
EP - 132
JO - Medical Teacher
JF - Medical Teacher
IS - 2
ER -