The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine

Doctors' Impressions of Vaccine Information from CAM Providers

Authors:
Lloyd B. Oppel, MD - Departments of Surgery
Richard G. Mathias, FRCP(C) - Health Care and Epidemiology
and Morley C. Sutter, MD - Pharmacology and Therapeutics
University of British Columbia

Background:
Practitioners of complementary and "alternative" medicine (CAM) are often viewed as sources of reliable health information. We sought to determine physicians' impressions of the quality and effect of vaccine information provided to patients by CAM providers.

Methods:
Surveys were mailed to random samples of general practitioners and specialists licensed in British Columbia in 2000 and 2001. An overall response rate of 27% was obtained.

Results:
Ninety percent of respondents (178/197) felt the vaccine information from CAM providers was unreliable and 79% (165/210) felt that such information made patients less inclined to use vaccines. Seventy-three percent (202/277) were aware of patients refusing vaccinations based on such information.

Conclusion:
Responding physicians felt that CAM practitioners dispense poor-quality vaccine information and that patients or their children may remain unimmunized as a result.