TRADITIONAL NATIVE HEALING - ALTERNATIVE OR ADJUNCT TO MODERN MEDICINE

OBJECTIVE To ascertain the extent to which family physicians in Britis h Columbia agree with First Nations patients' using traditional Native medicines. DESIGN Randomized cross-sectional survey. SETTING Family m edicine practices in British Columbia. PARTICIPANTS A randomized volun teer sample of 79 physicians from the registry of the BC Chapter of th e College of Family Physicians of Canada. Of 125 physicians contacted, 46 did not reply. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Physicians' demographic varia bles and attitudes toward patients' use of traditional Native medicine s. RESULTS Respondents generally accepted the use of traditional Nativ e medicines for health maintenance, palliative care, and the treatment of benign illness. More disagreement was found with its use for serio us illnesses, both for outpatients and in hospital, and especially in intensive care. Many physicians had difficulty forming a definition of traditional Native medicine, and were unable to give an opinion on it s health risks or benefits. A significant positive correlation appeare d between agreement with the use of traditional Native medicines and p hysicians' current practice serving a large First Nations population, as well as with physicians' knowing more than five patients using trad itional medicine. CONCLUSIONS Cooperation between traditional Native a nd modern health care systems requires greater awareness of different healing strategies, governmental support, and research to determine vi ews of Native patients and healers.