Student attitudes towards clinical teaching resources in complementary medicine: a focus group examination of Australian naturopathic medicine students

Abstract

Background: Complementary medicine is forming an increasingly large part of health care in developed countries and is increasingly being formally taught in tertiary academic settings. Objectives: An exploratory study of naturopathic student perceptions of, use of and attitudes towards teaching resources in naturopathic clinical training and education. Methods: Focus groups were conducted with current and recent students of 4-year naturopathic degree programmes in Brisbane and Sydney to ascertain how they interact with clinical teaching materials, and their perceptions and attitudes towards teaching materials in naturopathic education. Results: Naturopathic students have a complex and critical relationship with their learning materials. Although naturopathic practice is often defined by traditional evidence, students want information that both supports and is critical of traditional naturopathic practices, and focuses heavily on evidence-based medicine. Students remain largely ambivalent about new teaching technologies and would prefer that these develop organically as an evolution from printed materials, rather than depart from dramatically and radically from these previously established materials. Conclusions: Findings from this study will assist publishers, librarians and academics develop clinical information sources that appropriately meet student expectations and support their learning requirements.

A critical integrative review of complementary medicine education research: key issues and empirical gaps

“…Given the increasingly mainstream role that naturopaths are playing in the healthcare system in Australia, it is imperative that some of the issues of concern raised by naturopaths receive appropriate policy focus. This may include the development of appropriate regulatory regimes and the development of minimum standards of practice and education that value traditional naturopathic principles and philosophies, as well as ensuring ethical and effective clinical practice.417Wardle, J. and Sarris, J., 2014 [17]AustraliaQualitative. Focus groupsFocus groups conducted with current and recent students of 4-year naturopathic degree programs to ascertain how they interact with clinical teaching materials, and their perceptions and attitudes towards teaching materials in naturopathic education.A total of 24 students and recent graduates participated in the focus groups.Naturopathic students have a complex and critical relationship with their learning materials.…”

“…This may include the development of appropriate regulatory regimes and the development of minimum standards of practice and education that value traditional naturopathic principles and philosophies, as well as ensuring ethical and effective clinical practice. 4 17 Wardle, J. and Sarris, J., 2014 [ 17 ] Australia Qualitative. Focus groups Focus groups conducted with current and recent students of 4-year naturopathic degree programs to ascertain how they interact with clinical teaching materials, and their perceptions and attitudes towards teaching materials in naturopathic education.…”

Keeping up‐to‐date with current practice

“…As befits Richard Bridgen's editorial urging us to keep up with current practice, this issue of the Health Information and Libraries Journal is filled with examples of the universality of our day‐to‐day practice with manuscripts from across the globe: Australia, Canada, the greater China area, Nigeria and the United Kingdom …”

“…'s case study of academic librarians working in alliance with an interprofessional primary research team, and successful online learning relationships are forged between librarians and a graduate school, which was reported by Newall et al ., together with plans for further development of the module and international collaborations. And we stay with students, in this case naturopathic medicine students, when examining their attitudes towards clinical teaching resources in complementary medicine, finding that students are ambivalent about new teaching technologies and wish to access a broad spectrum of evidence that both supports and is critical of traditional practice.…”

“…; they enable all healthcare staff to have the relevant skills and knowledge to make evidence based decisions leading to excellent and safe patient care'. 2 Information professionals working in healthcare and social care play an important part in realising this vision. 'Health sciences libraries and librarians have an increasingly important role in providing that information to clinicians as well as to patients and their families', 3 and that 'librarians are valued for their search expertise and for their contributions in education, research, and quality and performance improvement'.…”