ABOUT two in three patients who use complementary medicines (CMs) do not tell their GP or other health professionals what they are taking, according to a new University of Technology Sydney-led study published this month in the Scientific Reports journal.
The systematic review looked at 86 scientific papers reporting disclosure rates and/or reasons for disclosure or non-disclosure of CM use to medical providers.
"Complementary medicine... is often the focus of relatively hidden patient health seeking, yet is making its presence felt in primary care, chronic disease management and other areas," authors wrote.
They also noted that CM users visited a GP more frequently than non-CM users, and while serious adverse effects from CM use appear relatively rare, "substantial associated direct and indirect risks remain," meaning it is important that patients advise their GP of anything they are taking.
"Reasons for non-disclosure included lack of inquiry from medical providers, fear of provider disapproval, perception of disclosure as unimportant, belief providers lacked CM knowledge, lacking time, and belief CM was safe," the authors noted.
The paper highlighted high rates of concomitant complementary and conventional medicine use, with disclosure "increasingly identified as a central challenge facing patient management amidst concurrent use over the last 13 years".
The authors suggested that low disclosure levels could potentially be addressed by medical providers through communication with patients about complementary medicine "in a direct, supportive, non-judgemental manner to build trust and communicative success".
The paper urged a greater focus on encouraging disclosure, particularly for primary care providers acting as "gatekeeper in their patients' care".
The full report is available at www.nature.com.
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