More Harm than Good? by Edzard Ernst & Kevin Smith

Author:Edzard Ernst & Kevin Smith
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer International Publishing, Cham

3.1 Deficits in Fundamental Science Education

In terms of education in the basic science underpinning health and disease, CAM programmes tend to take one of two approaches, both of which are problematic: [a] only a minimal degree of basic science is included, which is insufficient as a means to properly understand the human body in health and disease; or [b] a decent quantity of science is covered, but with this being largely or completely detached from the CAM modality.

Little needs to be said about the former approach; clearly, programs with insufficient basic medical science content simply cannot provide a robust foundation for the education of healthcare professionals. This is obviously problematic from an ethical perspective. By contrast, the latter approach, which typically involves students in their early years being co-taught alongside students in mainstream disciplines, at least provides the possibility of CAM students gaining sufficient basic science knowledge. However, the risk with this model is that the imparted scientific knowledge is likely to be treated as abstract from, and therefore largely irrelevant to, clinical aspects of the CAM modality being studied. This intellectual detachment may be mitigated by attempts within programs to actively cross-refer basic science teaching with healthcare and discipline-specific components. Nevertheless, to the extent that a lack of genuine integration occurs, such co-taught models of education are ethically questionable.

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