Payesh (Oct 2008)
Traditional and Complementary/Alternative Medicine (TCAM)in medical theses (1991-2006)
Abstract
Objective (s): To assess TCAM in medical theses during the recent 15 years in medical schools of Tehran, Iran. Methods: All medical theses in 4 main medical schools (Iran, Shahid Beheshti, Shahed and Tehran medical schools) registered during 1991-2006 were assessed to find subjects related to TCAM. Theses were evaluated regarding the type of study, grade/ specialty of author and type of TCAM. Results: In all, 28344 medical theses have been registered during the study period. Of these, 110 theses (3.88 per 1000) were related to TCAM. There was a statistically significant increasing trend in the proportion of TCAM subjects (P<0.001 , X2 for trends=42.7). Among the TCAM studies, 37.3 percent were related to clinical aspects. The proportion of clinical topics was significantly higher for specialized degrees than the general medicine (P<0.001). Conclusion: Even though there was an increasing trend during recent years, the proportion of TCAM subjects was relatively low. Re-orienting medical students could play an important role in increasing the production of scientific evidences on the topic.
