An examination of technologies in complementary medicine education and practice: The perceptions and experiences of naturopathy students, faculty and educational leaders

Abstract

Objectives: Little is known about the education of future CM practitioners. The objective is to explore the perceptions and experiences of students, faculty and professional leaders toward technologies in complementary medicine education and practice. Design and setting: Qualitative focus groups and one-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted in CM educational organizations and institutions in North America (United States / Canada) and Australia involving seven focus groups (29 naturopathic students), and 30 one-on-one interviews (faculty, educational and professional leaders of the naturopathic profession). Results: Data analysis identified five issues reported. These related to perceptions of; the shortfalls of CM classroom technology, the value of technology within CM clinical practice, learning technologies in the classroom, addressing equity concerns as a consequence of learning technology use, and the need to develop technology literacy skills amongst students and faculty. Conclusion: This is the first study to examine the perceptions of students, faculty and professional leaders toward technologies in CM education and practice within an education setting. CM students exhibited complex attitudes and adoption patterns to technology. CM students were critical of faculty who have perceived low levels of digital literacy. The technology issue that students in our study found most challenging was PowerPoint use in the classroom. There is an urgent need to establish a strategic research agenda and modelling around this important area of health care education in order to ensure a well-educated, effective workforce able to deliver the best outcomes for the patients and communities they serve.

Keywords

• Complementary medicine
• Naturopathy
• Digital literacy
• Education
• Learning technologies
• PowerPoint