Clinical guidelines in the UK: Do they mention Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) – Are CAM professional bodies aware?

IntroductionClinical guidelines are designed to help practitioners and patients make decisions about appropriate health care. Including complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in conventional guidelines can raise awareness, inform consumers and could potentially encourage integrated care provision. This study reviews Department of Health guidance on CAM in UK clinical guidelines and assesses CAM professional bodies’ awareness.MethodsPhase 1 searched the NHS Evidence website for any guidelines mentioning CAM. Phase 2 requested 47 individuals from 30 UK professional organizations (18 different CAM therapies) to complete an online survey.ResultsPhase 1 identified 30 NHS guidelines and 13 from a previous search. Phase 2 received responses from 20 organizations (15 therapies) who identified 17 additional eligible guidelines – a final total of 60 guidelines. Acupuncture, specific herbs, supplements, manual therapy or massage, were most frequently mentioned. 44% provided inconclusive indications (‘does not recommend’) either due to a lack of evidence or another reason. Guidelines recommending CAM and advising against CAM were almost equally common (N = 26 or 27, 19%). Professional CAM bodies were largely unaware of clinical guidelines mentioning their therapy but were positive about the use of guidelines, particularly in helping integrate CAM.ConclusionsEvaluating individual practitioners’ awareness and use of guidelines, involving them in future guideline development and assessing the impact of guidelines on practice requires further investigation. It may be the responsibility of professional organizations to be involved in future guideline development by improving the channels of communication with government and the NHS, and prioritizing further research to build the evidence base for CAM.This article belongs to the Special Issue: Clinical Guidelines.