Asian-Origin Complementary and Alternative Medicine Perceptions Among Undergraduate Medical Students: A Cross Sectional Study

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is an important feature of patient medical history. This study sought to investigate the perceptions of medical students at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem, New York (TouroCOM-NY) regarding Asian-origin CAM practices. An anonymous survey was distributed to first and second year TouroCOM-NY medical students, asking about their familiarity with, and general attitude towards, five categories of Asian-origin CAM (acupuncture, reiki, tai chi, Ayurveda, and use of non-mineral/vitamin substances) 107 students responded from the first-and second-year class at TouroCOM-NY in 2018, with an 84% response rate. Demographics were equally distributed between genders and were predominantly of Asian or Caucasian origin (mirroring that of the institution). 59% indicated no knowledge of 2 or more of the CAM practices listed; 41% indicated no knowledge of 3 or more. Only 20% indicated practice of at least one of the listed CAM and noted strong familiarity. This survey demonstrated significant knowledge gaps and attitudes for Asian-origin CAM practices that can be addressed by curriculum change in undergraduate medical education.