Question

Discuss the role of ethics in regulating the provision of complementary medicine treatments and products and their place in the regulatory environment surrounding complementary medicine?

Answer 1

Patients nowadays, resort more to complementary medicines and therapies due to their low cost, easy access and free invasive procedures. The increased use of complementary medicine and therapy by healthcare providers, patients and institutions has made it necessary that doctors or physicians consider their ethical obligations when recommending these medicines or therapies. Issues like misleading information, publications, informed consent and confidentiality should be discussed under ethical concers.

Role of ethics:

It could be difficult for doctors to communicate with patients about the comthementary medical treatments. But it is ethical for physicians to set aside their personal opinions when patients are seeking complementary medicine therapy.

By discussing about complementary medicine and therapy, physicians can help the patients to understand the various advantages and disadvantages of both standard and complementary medical treatment.

If a physician sense that a patient was mistreated by such treatments, he or she may report the person who provided the treatment to a State licensing board or other governing bodies.

The lack of medical knowledge among the complementary medicine practitioners may create risk for patient safety. Complementary medicine treatment related ethical issues relate to the consent, patient autonomy and the role of fairness, state and ethics of private healthcare, doctor-patient relationship & the use of public resources.

Key ethical concern is honesty and deception among the practitioner and the patient.

Place

people believe that complementary therapies are safer than conventional medicines as they are more "natural".

Without clinical trials, one cannot be sure of the complementary therapy. The long and short term risks of treatment also remain unknown.

Complementary therapies could be harmful if used in am incorrect manner or by someone for whom they are not suitable. Many patients don't tell their doctors about their use of therapies as they assume that the doctor would be judgemental. Hence, doctors are expected to advice their patients on complementary therapies.

But, the law and medical professionals are not clear about how much they should know about complementary therapies and products. So, the ethics play a major role in this area.