Professionalism And Ethics In Complementary And Alternative Medicine

Gain a better understanding of the complex issues that will decide the future of health care! This is the first book of its kind in the rapidly growing field of complementary and alternative medicine. It addresses quality-of-care concerns and also focuses on the goals of many practitioners: to secure a firm place for their practice in health care systems and to establish levels of integration. Professionalism and Ethics in Complementary and Alternative Medicine is a unique textbook, but is also an essential resource for practitioners of complementary, alternative, and conventional medicine as well as the general public. This volume is divided into three parts. The first looks at a range of current concerns over complementary and alternative medicine, many of which raise ethical issues relating to quality of care. The next section, focusing on professionalism, indicates how practitioners must respond to the public’s concerns, especially in light of the public’s rising expectations of standards of care among all practitioners. The third part is comprised of case histories plus commentaries suitable for private study or classroom discussion. In this valuable book you will find: an examination of current issues in complementary/alternative medicine and bioethics explorations of other approaches to ethical dilemmas including “bottom-up” ethics such as consequentialism and social utilitarianism plus feminist ethics, virtue ethics, and more informed discussion of public expectations of professional roles and responsibilities case histories that illustrate ethical issues explanations of the Hippocratic Oath and complementary and alternative medicine codes an examination of the power structure within health care systems and much, much more! Growing from a course on ethics and law at the Homeopathic College of Canada in Toronto, Professionalism and Ethics in Complementary and Alternative Medicine will benefit everyone who is concerned with quality care and integrated medicine.

This is the first comprehensive, multidisciplinary book to focus on the ethical challenges of complementary and alternative medicine. It examines the ethical challenges that CAM raises for patients and their physicians, and for patient-physician relationships. The book is written by a multidisciplinary team of CAM ethics and policy analysts, researchers and thought-leaders who present a forward-looking exploration of their subject.

A pioneering local textbook covering curriculum requirements for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) students. Legal, ethical, and professional practice issues are essential curriculum components of all Complementary and Alternative Medicine courses. Statutory bodies, professional associations, educational institutions and accreditation authorities require the incorporation of such content into CAM study. This has created the need for a definitive guide written specifically for Australian students according to CAM curriculum requirements. Essentials of Law, Ethics and Professional Issues for CAM is the only local textbook which deals comprehensively with legal, ethical and professional practice issues for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) students. This timely medical text takes a multidisciplinary approach, and is written by authors who are both academics and practitioners, with contributing authors for individual CAM modalities. Essentials of Law, Ethics and Professional Issues for CAM is ideal for students, trainees and even practitioners in various modalities, including naturopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, massage, osteopathy, chiropractic and western herbal medicine. presents a combined solution for professional practice courses which cover legal, ethical and professional practice considerations is the only local book to address these issues for modalities considered by COAG for regulation and registration designed to meet the needs of CAM students at Diploma, Bachelor and Coursework Masters levels case studies, alert boxes, tips and explanations contained throughout includes integrative practice considerations

As growing numbers of patients turn to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), the focus of attention has largely been on whether these therapies work and whether they are safe. These questions are central to further integration of CAM with orthodox medicine. But in the absence of formal regulation, it is equally critical to consider the ethical dimensions of the CAM therapeutic encounter. In this book, Julie Stone demonstrates that ethical issues are no less relevant to CAM therapists than they are to doctors or any other group of health professionals. She provides CAM therapists with a detailed framework of the specific ethical issues which affect CAM practice to help practitioners think constructively about how ethics underpin their therapeutic work. An Ethical Framework for Complementary and Alternative Therapists encourages critical and reflective practice, suggests practical problems to common problems, includes illustrative scenarios of ethical dilemmas faced by therapists and summarises key points. This timely book offers a comprehensive guide to this important area. Its challenging conclusions are as relevant to experienced practitioners as to students and newly qualified therapists. This book will also interest policy makers and professional bodies interested in strengthening and enhancing CAM's potential.

Integration of complementary and alternative medicine therapies (CAM) with conventional medicine is occurring in hospitals and physicians offices, health maintenance organizations (HMOs) are covering CAM therapies, insurance coverage for CAM is increasing, and integrative medicine centers and clinics are being established, many with close ties to medical schools and teaching hospitals. In determining what care to provide, the goal should be comprehensive care that uses the best scientific evidence available regarding benefits and harm, encourages a focus on healing, recognizes the importance of compassion and caring, emphasizes the centrality of relationship-based care, encourages patients to share in decision making about therapeutic options, and promotes choices in care that can include complementary therapies where appropriate. Numerous approaches to delivering integrative medicine have evolved. Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the United States identifies an urgent need for health systems research that focuses on identifying the elements of these models, the outcomes of care delivered in these models, and whether these models are cost-effective when compared to conventional practice settings. It outlines areas of research in convention and CAM therapies, ways of integrating these therapies, development of curriculum that provides further education to health professionals, and an amendment of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act to improve quality, accurate labeling, research into use of supplements, incentives for privately funded research into their efficacy, and consumer protection against all potential hazards.

Leading bioethicists and philosophers examine and debate the question of how the health care system should deal with using complimentary and alternative medicines. The distinguished authorities writing here both defend and criticize alternative medicine, with some arguing that the medical system should change substantially in order to accommodate alternative medicine, and others claiming that virtually all alternative treatments are worthless. In the heat of the debate many fundamental issues are raised concerning our health care system, among them the questions of therapeutic effectiveness, media truthfulness, the patient's freedom to choose among treatment options, health insurance coverage, the ability of the current healthcare delivery system to meet patients' needs, and government approval of alternative medicines.

'A valuable resource for those in clinical practice and students undertaking primary and secondary qualifications in the complementary medicine and therapy disciplines.' Caroline Smith, Professor, Complementary Medicine Research, National Institute of Complementary Medicine, Western Sydney University Comprehensive, unique and reflective of the current Australian legislative framework and AHPRA regulations, Michael Weir's Law and Ethics in Complementary Medicine remains the most widely used reference text in the field. A valuable handbook for professionals, students and researchers, the text addresses legal and ethical issues across a broad range of traditional, complementary and integrative practices. The text deals with legal and ethical issues in clinical relationships and provides practical guidelines for setting up and running a professional practice. Michael Weir systematically outlines the various aspects of the law which impact on clinical practice, including legal obligations to clients, consumer legislation and complaints processes, and professional boundaries. He explains how to navigate professional indemnity insurance, and the steps you need to take in setting up a professional practice from establishing a business name to dealing with employees. He also outlines the role of codes of ethics, and explores how to deal with tricky ethical issues in daily practice. This fifth edition is fully updated with in-depth treatment of the issue of ethical practice and professional decision making. It addresses recent changes in regulation and case law, including the development of the National Code of Conduct for Healthcare Workers and also now includes yoga and holistic counselling as modalities of complementary medicine.

At the center of the debate over complementary and alternative medicine--from acupuncture and chiropractic treatments to homeopathy and nutritional supplements--is how to scientifically measure the effectiveness of a particular treatment. Fourteen scholars from the fields of medicine, philosophy, sociology, and cultural and folklore studies examine that debate, and the clash between growing public support and the often hostile stance of clinicians and medical researchers. Proponents and critics have different methodologies and standards of evidence--raising the question of how much pluralism is acceptable in a medical context--particularly in light of differing worldviews and the struggle to define medicine in the modern world. The contributors address both the methodological problems of assessment and the conflicting cultural perspectives at work in a patient's choice of treatment. Sympathetic to CAM, the contributors nonetheless offer careful critiques of its claims, and suggest a variety of ways it can be taken seriously, yet subject to careful scrutiny.