Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Benefits, Challenges, and Culture Change Related to Collaborations Between Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Traditional Research-Intensive Institutions

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Medical Science Educator Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

This project assessed the nature of collaboration between complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and traditional, research-intensive (TRI) institutions among the nine National Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)-funded Research Education Partnership Project Awards (R25 grant program).

Method

A blinded 43-question, IRB-approved survey was administered to primary investigators from 19 awarded CAM and TRI institutions. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively. Short-answer questions were assessed qualitatively.

Results

The survey was completed by 84.2 % of the sample. Their collaborations included faculty exchanges, TRI institution seminars and mentorship of CAM faculty and students in research, joint development of courses and evidence-based practice (EBP) resources, and two-way consulting (TRI-CAM and vice versa). The collaborations were characterized as mutually respectful and personally rewarding, being collective efforts, instilling confidence in each others’ work, having open communication, resulting in mutual learning, and leading to subsequent collaborations. The most important success included training and collaboration among faculty (n = 9), developing EBP knowledge and educational materials (n = 7), improving research infrastructure and collaboration opportunities (n = 6), and cultural change toward EBP (n = 5). The greatest progress included providing educational and research opportunities for students and faculty. The primary challenges were related to time constraints of faculty. Over 70 % of respondents believed that the TRI institution influenced culture change in CAM faculty, and 30 % of TRI institutions reported that the R25 collaboration led to culture change at their own institutions.

Conclusions

The responses indicated the CAM-TRI collaborations provided important benefits to both types of institutions, laying the groundwork for continued partnerships and collaboration.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. NIH. CAM Practitioner Research Education Project Grant Partnership 2004. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-04-097.html. Accessed 25 June 2014.

  2. Lasater K, Salanti S, Fleishman S, Coletto J, Jin H, Lore R, et al. Learning activities to enhance research literacy in a CAM college curriculum. Altern Ther Health Med. 2009;15(4):46–54.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Sullivan B, Cambron J, Rizzo L, Cramer G. Essential evidence based practice for CAM study and practice guide (300 pp). National University of Health Sciences, http://www.nuhs.edu/research/evidence-based-practice/student-curriculum. 2009. Accessed 30 July 2014.

  4. Taylor B, Delagran L, Baldwin L, Hanson L, Leininger B, Vihstadt C, et al. Advancing integration through evidence informed practice: Northwestern Health Sciences University's integrated educational model. Explore (NY). 2011;7(6):396–400. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2011.08.010.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Evans R, Maiers M, Delagran L, Kreitzer MJ, Sierpina V. Evidence informed practice as the catalyst for culture change in CAM. Explor (NY). 2012;8(1):68–72. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2011.11.007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Haas M, Leo M, Peterson D, Lefebvre R, Vavrek D. Evaluation of the effects of an evidence-based practice curriculum on knowledge, attitudes, and self-assessed skills and behaviors in chiropractic students. J Manip Physiol Ther. 2012;35(9):701–9. doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2012.10.014.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Tapper J. Collaboration in white spaces: librarians as leaders in evidence-based practice at CAM institutions. Leadersh Manag. 2013;27(4):1–13.

  8. McCarty RL, Fenn R, Gaster B, Weber W, Guiltinan J. Building bridges: qualitative assessment of a clinical faculty exchange between a naturopathic and an allopathic medical training program. Explore (NY). 2011;7(4):249–53. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2011.04.003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Hammerschlag R, Lasater K, Salanti S, Fleishman S. Research scholars program: a faculty development initiative at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine. J Altern Complement Med. 2008;14(4):437–43. doi:10.1089/acm.2007.0813.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Connelly EN, Elmer PJ, Morris CD, Zwickey H. The Vanguard Faculty program: research training for complementary and alternative medicine faculty. J Altern Complement Med. 2010;16(10):1117–23. doi:10.1089/acm.2009.0574.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Kreitzer MJ, Sierpina V, Fleishman S. Teaching research literacy: a model faculty development program at Oregon College of Oriental Medicine. Explore (NY). 2010;6(2):112–4. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2009.12.010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Allen ES, Connelly EN, Morris CD, Elmer PJ, Zwickey H. A train the trainer model for integrating evidence-based medicine into a complementary and alternative medicine training program. Explore (NY). 2011;7(2):88–93. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2010.12.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Evans R, Delagran L, Maiers M, Kreitzer MJ, Sierpina V. Advancing evidence informed practice through faculty development: the Northwestern Health Sciences University model. Explore (NY). 2011;7(4):265–8. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2011.04.014.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Long CR, Ackerman DL, Hammerschlag R, Delagran L, Peterson DH, Berlin M, et al. Faculty development initiatives to advance research literacy and evidence-based practice at CAM academic institutions. J Altern Complement Med. 2014. doi:10.1089/acm.2013.0385.

  15. Sullivan BM, Furner SE, Cramer GD. Development of a student-mentored research program between a complementary and alternative medicine university and a traditional, research-intensive university. Acad Med. 2014;89(9):1220–6. doi:10.1097/ACM.0000000000000393.

  16. Leo MC, Peterson D, Haas M, LeFebvre R, Bhalerao S. Development and psychometric evaluation of an evidence-based practice questionnaire for a chiropractic curriculum. J Manip Physiol Ther. 2012;35(9):692–700. doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2012.10.011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Beil K, Hanes D. The influence of urban natural and built environments on physiological and psychological measures of stress—a pilot study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2013;10(4):1250–67. doi:10.3390/ijerph10041250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Nedrow AR, Heitkemper M, Frenkel M, Mann D, Wayne P, Hughes E. Collaborations between allopathic and complementary and alternative medicine health professionals: four initiatives. Acad Med. 2007;82(10):962–6.

  19. Kreitzer MJ, Kligler B, Meeker WC. Health Professions Education and Integrative Health Care Institute of Medicine; 2009. p. 1–53.

  20. Kreitzer MJ, Kligler B, Meeker WC. Health professions education and integrative healthcare. Explore (NY). 2009;5(4):212–27. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2009.05.012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Novella S. Science Based Medicine. In: CAM in Medical Schools. 2011. http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/cam-in-medical-schools/. Accessed 25 June 2014.

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Dr. Erica Oberg for data analysis and research assistants, and Rebecca Furlano and Jenna Ewers for their assistance with data compilation.

Funding support

This work was supported by NIH/NCCAM (Grant #s 1R25AT 002872, 1R25AT002876, 1R25AT0003580, 1R25AT003582, and1R25AT003579).

Other disclosures

None.

Ethical approval

National University of Health Sciences Institutional Review Board approval #201132.

Disclaimers

None.

Previous presentations

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National University of Health Sciences, Lombard, IL, USA

    Gregory D. Cramer & Jennifer M. Dexheimer

  2. Bastyr University, Seattle, WA, USA

    Jane Guiltinan

  3. Northwestern Health Sciences University, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Michele Maiers

  4. Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, Andrew Taylor Still University, Kirksville, MO, USA

    Stephen Laird & Susan Coon

  5. Palmer College of Chiropractic, Davenport, IA, USA

    Christine Goertz

  6. School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Sylvia E. Furner

  7. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Mary Jo Kreitzer

Authors
  1. Gregory D. Cramer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jane Guiltinan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michele Maiers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Stephen Laird
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Christine Goertz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Sylvia E. Furner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Mary Jo Kreitzer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Jennifer M. Dexheimer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Susan Coon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gregory D. Cramer.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Online Resource 1

The 43-question (some questions with multiple parts), web-based survey developed for and used in this project to collect information about the CAM-TRI collaborations (PDF 309 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Cramer, G.D., Guiltinan, J., Maiers, M. et al. Benefits, Challenges, and Culture Change Related to Collaborations Between Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Traditional Research-Intensive Institutions. Med.Sci.Educ. 25, 27–34 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-014-0077-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-014-0077-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation