Patient requests and provider suggestions for alternative treatments as reported by rural and urban care providers

Objectives: Explored the relationship between different types of care providers' willingness to suggest alternative and complementary treatments (CAM), patients' requests for CAM, and provider perceptions about CAM as barriers to effective healthcare. Design: Large survey. Setting: Alaska and New Mexico. Main measures: Survey responses from 1528 physical and behavioral healthcare providers. Results: Over 97% of providers suggested CAM; over 97% reported patients asked for CAM. Providers were more likely to suggest CAM than perceived CAM as a barrier to care. Healthcare providers who were female, from small rural areas, or specializing in behavioral healthcare were more likely to suggest CAM and less likely to perceive CAM as a barrier. Patients of physical healthcare providers asked for CAM more often than patients of behavioral healthcare providers, yet physical care providers suggested CAM less frequently. Conclusions: Healthcare providers of all disciplines, regions, and gender are sensitive to patients' desire for CAM and do not perceive CAM as a barrier to care. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.