 |
|
Consultations for Holistic Pediatric Services for Inpatients and Outpatient Oncology Patients at a Children's Hospital
Kathi J. Kemper, MD, MPH;
Wendy L. Wornham, MD
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2001;155:449-454.
Background As demand increases for complementary and alternative medical care,
pediatric institutions face the need to answer patients' and clinicians' questions
about integrating these therapies in hospital settings.
Objective To describe the first year of experience in providing holistic medicine
consultations in an urban tertiary care teaching hospital.
Design Prospective cohort.
Subjects Patients seeking consultation from the Center for Holistic Pediatric
Education and Research, Boston, Mass, from July 16, 1999, to July 15, 2000.
Methods Review of consultation notes and medical records.
Results Of the 70 physician consultations, most (n = 43) were for oncology patients.
Most consultations (n = 44) were accomplished with a single visit. The most
common goal for consultation was to obtain help in managing symptoms such
as nausea, pain, insomnia, or agitation (n = 50). The most common questions
about specific therapies had to do with herbs (n = 41) or dietary supplements
(n = 42), but there were also frequent questions about diet and nutrition
(n = 33) and mind-body therapies such as guided imagery and biofeedback (n
= 28) and massage (n = 25). Approximately 0.3 full-time equivalents of physician
time was required to provide clinical consultations, and $7315 was collected
of the $26 638 billed for these services.
Conclusions The complementary medicine consultation service was primarily consulted
by oncology patients requesting assistance with pain and symptom management.
Patients had questions about various therapies, particularly herbs and dietary
supplements. Additional research is necessary to determine the cost-effectiveness
of an integrated approach to care, particularly for institutions without access
to reliable community resources for complementary and alternative medical
therapies.
From the Center for Holistic Pediatric Education and Research, Children's
Hospital, and the Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston,
Mass.
Corresponding author and reprints: Kathi J. Kemper, MD, MPH, Center
for Holistic Pediatric Education and Research, Children's Hospital, 333 Longwood
Ave, Room LO-547, Boston, MA 02115 (e-mail: CHPER{at}tch.harvard.edu).
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES
Dietary Supplements: Inpatient Policies in US Children's Hospitals
Gardiner et al.
Pediatrics 2008;121:e775-e781.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Incidence of Iatrogenesis Associated With Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment of Pediatric Patients
Hayes and Bezilla
JAOA: Journal of the American Osteopathic Association 2006;106:605-608.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Pediatric Health Care Providers' Attitudes and Referral Predictors for Therapeutic Massage and Acupuncture
McLellan et al.
Complementary Health Practice Review 2005;10:119-131.
ABSTRACT
Herbal Medicines for Children
Ernst
CLIN PEDIATR 2003;42:193-196.
|
