Visie Amerikaanse Artsenvereniging op Complementaire behandelwijzen, CAM

De Amerikaanse pendant van de KNMG is de AMA, de American Medical Association. In 2006 sprak de AMA zich expliciet uit over complementaire en alternatieve geneeskunde, daar aangeduid met de term CAM. We citeren uit het standpunt enkele relevante passages, te meer daar onze eigen KNMG zich momenteel herorienteert op het standpunt m.b.t. alternatieve geneeskunde.

We citeren

1. The American Medical Association, through its House of Delegates (HOD), has adopted a resolution which promotes education of medical doctors and medical students on the "benefits, risks and efficacy" of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

2. Current American Medical Association policy supports physicians routinely inquiring about the use of alternative or unconventional therapy by their patients, and to educate themselves and their patients about the state of scientific knowledge with regard to alternative therapy that may be used or contemplated

3. Despite growing public interest and support for CAM, a majority of physicians surveyed, as reported in the 2004 Summer edition of Behavioral Medicine, do not feel sufficiently knowledgeable about CAM safety or efficacy and would like to receive more education on CAM modalities;

4. and according to a report issued by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the educational opportunities offered by US allopathic medical schools in CAM are inconsistent and sparse; therefore be it RESOLVED, That our American Medical Association support the incorporation of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in medical education as well as continuing medical education curricula, covering CAM’s benefits, risks, and efficacy.

Deze visie wordt door IOCOB aanbevolen om ook in Nederland door de KNMG ondersteund te worden, opdat kennis van de voor- en de nadelen van complementaire en alternatieve geneeskunde gemeengoed wordt voor artsen en studenten.

 

Verder willen we vermelden dat de algemene toegevoegde statement is:

H-480.964 Alternative Medicine 

Policy of the AMA on alternative medicine is: (1) There is little evidence to confirm the safety or 

efficacy of most alternative therapies. Much of the information currently known about these 

therapies makes it clear that many have not been shown to be efficacious. Well-designed, 

stringently controlled research should be done to evaluate the efficacy of alternative therapies. 

(2) Physicians should routinely inquire about the use of alternative or unconventional therapy by 

their patients, and educate themselves and their patients about the state of scientific knowledge 

with regard to alternative therapy that may be used or contemplated. (3) Patients who choose 

alternative therapies should be educated as to the hazards that might result from postponing or 

stopping conventional medical treatment. (CSA Rep. 12, A-97; Reaffirmed: BOT Rep. 36, A-02)