DOCTORS ATTITUDES TO ACUPUNCTURE - A NORWEGIAN STUDY

1466 Norwegian working doctors under 71 y of age were surveyed in Febr uary 1994 on their attitudes to acupuncture and experience as acupunct ure patients. 1135 doctors responded (response rate: 77%). More than 8 % had undergone acupuncture treatment and 38% of these reported benefi t from the treatment. Over 53% would realistically consider acupunctur e if they got problems or diseases where acupuncture treatment could b e an alternative. More than 38% recommend acupuncture treatment to the ir migraine patients. More than four out of five doctors would not try to interfere with a patient's wish to try acupuncture treatment for c ancer. 81% said that acupuncture is, or should be integrated in the na tional health care system. More general practitioners held this view t han other doctors (p < 0.001). Positive attitudes were strongest among doctors who either had already undergone acupuncture treatment or int ended to do so. If this development continues, acupuncture could be an integrated part of the national Norwegian health care system in the n ear future, (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.