Diversity in Collection Development: Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Resources or CAM

1
Diversity in Collection Development
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
Resources orCAM the New Frontier

• Susan Murray
• smurray_at_torontopubliclibrary.ca
• Consumer Health Information Service
• Toronto Reference Library
• MLA, May 17, 2005

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CAM - Definitions

• Alternative medicine - other, a type of
  medicine other than the traditional kind of
  medicine independent healing systems outside the
  realm of western medical theory and practice
• Also called complementary medicine or
  complementary health although this is often used
  to describe therapies that are used along with
  mainstream medicine, such as massage therapy
• Also called integrative health
• MeSH term in 1994, previously therapeutic cults

3
Short History of Medicine

• I have an earache
• 2000 B.C. Here, eat this root.
• 1000 A.D. That root is heathen, Here, say this
  prayer.
• 1850 A.D. That prayer is superstition. Here,
  drink this potion.
• 1940 A.D. That potion is snake oil. Here,
  swallow this pill.
• 1985 A.D. That pill is ineffective. Here, take
  this antibiotic.
• A.D. That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat
  this root.
• Author Unknown
• Cited The Complementary and Alternative Medicine
  Information Source Book. ed. by Alan Rees.
  Phoenix Oryx Press, 2001

4
CAM Use - U.S.

• 36 of American adults used some form of CAM in
  2002 62 if prayer for health reasons is
  included
• 50 billion spent on CAM in 2002
• - Most often used to treat back pain or back
  problems, joint pain or stiffness, and anxiety or
  depression
• Exceptionally high usage by those with life
  threatening illnesses, such as cancer or HIV/AIDS
• Barnes, PM, Powell-Griner E, McFann K, Nahin, RL.
  Complementary and alternative medicine use among
  adults United States, 2002. Advance data from
  vital and health statistics, no 343, Hyattsville,
  Maryland National Center for Health Statistics.
• www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm

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What do Users Ask About CAM? Consumers What is
it? How does it work? Is it safe? Does it work?
For my condition? Where can I locate
practitioners/clinics, etc.? How much does it
cost? Health Care Professionals Is there
evidence to support it?
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Balanced CAM Collection

• Alternative Systems Ayurvedic Medicine, TCM,
  herbalism, naturopathy, homeopathy
• Biologically-based therapies vitamins, herbs,
  dietary supplements
• Body-based therapies massage, chiropractic
• Mind-body therapies meditation, art therapy,
  hypnosis, imagery, biofeedback
• Energy therapies Qi Gong, therapeutic touch,
  reiki, magnetic therapy

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Challenges in CAM Selection

• Very diffuse topic area
• Much questionable material fads, selling of
  products, untested treatments
• More difficult to judge authority of authors,
  institutions
• Concern about choosing resources that are
  potentially harmful
• Difficult to locate specialized publishers
• Resources not published, indexed or in English

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Licensure Abbreviations

• Alternative Medicine Foundation, Inc.
• Alternative and Complementary Medicine
  Resource Guide. httpwww.amfoundation.org/geninfo.
  htm  
• httpwww.amfoundation.org/geninfo.htm
• Gancao.net. Titles, initials, translations.
  http//gancao.net/Referrals/ref.explain.shtml
• http//gancao.net/Referrals/ref.explain.shtml
  
• Directory of Hypnotherapy Practitioners.
• Glossary of qualification abbreviations.
• http//www.therapypages.com/qualifications.
  htm
• http//www.therapypages.com/qualifications.
  htm
• Key to professional titles. In Alternative
  Medicine The Definitive Guide. 2d ed. (p.
  1113-4). Berkeley, CA Celestial Arts, 2002

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Selection Criteria

• Primary
• Authority author, institution, training
  experience
• Accuracy type of evidence
• Currency not as important an issue with CAM
• Point of view balance? bias?
• Audience level and usefulness
• Scope of coverage - contribution to CAM knowledge
  base
• Secondary
• Organization
• Physical format
• Cost

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Selection of CAM Resources

• In selecting materials, librarians should not
  be swayed by whether the treatments have been
  proven effective, but should collect works on
  both alternative and orthodox medicine so that
  consumers are given sufficient information to
  make choices.
• Kupferberg, N. Alternative medicine goes
  mainstream.
• Library Journal, July 199451-55.

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Views of Librarians, Medical Students and
Physicians About CAM Resources

• UBC study investigated the personal and
  professional opinions of librarians, medical
  students and doctors regarding the availability
  of CAM for both medical students and the general
  public
• Medical students and doctors rejected any
  restrictions on the library acquiring or
  circulating these materials
• Librarians were more hesitant about acquiring
  radical or revolutionary materials that might
  cause harm
• Curry, A, Smith, ST. Information on
  alternative medicine a collection management
  issue. Bull Med Libr Assoc 199886(1)95-100.

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Evolving Area

• Growing number of publications from mainstream
  authors and publishers, particularly academic
  publishers
• Articles in professional medical journals
• Evidence-based material
• Librarian- produced CAM collection guides and
  websites

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CAM Selection Aids - I

• The Complementary and Alternative Medicine
  Information Source Book. ed. by Alan Rees.
  Phoenix Oryx Press, 2001.
• includes core list, reviews of 355 popular books,
  associations/organizations, magazines/newsletters,
  reviews of 35 professional texts, and 60
  Internet sites reviewed by Tom Flemming
• Rees CHI reviews continued by Majors Scientific
  Books Report Alan Rees on Consumer Health
  https//www.majors.com/marketing/marketsite/indexl
  ib.html

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CAM Selection Aids - II

• CAPHIS collection development
  http//caphis.mlanet.org/resources/index.html
• http//caphis.mlanet.org/resources/index.html
• e.g. CHIS healthnavigators
• Reviews Consumer Connections, Library Journal,
  Choice, Booklist
• listservs CAMLIB-L, CAPHIS, MEDLIB
• CAMLIB-L majordomo_at_library.ucsf.edu

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CAM Selection Aids- III

• Scanning magazines and journals
• - BMJ, Lancet, NEJM, JAMA
• Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet
  http//www.haworthpress.com/web/JCHI
• http//www.haworthpress.com/web/JCHI
• - alternative and complementary therapies
  column that focuses on an Internet site, a
  specific diagnosis, or a therapeutic modality
  (vol.9(1) 2005 featured Tai Chi
• Vendor catalogues Login, Majors
• Dalhousie University.School of Pharmacy.
• http//pharmacy.dal.ca/druginfo/alterna.htm
• http//pharmacy.dal.ca/druginfo/alterna.htm
• provides links to publishers sites for ordering
  material on general CAM, homeopathy, herbal
  medicine

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CAM Selection Aids Core Lists

• Brandon-Hill Lists discontinued in 2004
• - continued by Doody Enterprises
  http//www.doody.com/dct/
• http//www.doody.com/dct/
• Check CHI core lists, such as CAPHIS for CAM
  books
• http//caphis.mlanet.org/resources/index.html

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CAM Electronic Resources Guides and Lists

• ? Rosenthal Center for Complementary and
  Alternative Medicine - directory of CAM databases
• http//www.rosenthal.hs.columbia.edu/Database
  s.html
• http//www.rosenthal.hs.columbia.edu/Databases
  .html
• Bastyr University online resources bibliography
• http//www.bastyr.edu/Library/resources/onlin
  e/default.asp
• http//www.bastyr.edu/Library/resources/onlin
  e/default.asp
• Complementary Therapies on the Internet. By
  William Mac Beckner and Brian M. Berman. New
  York Churchill Livingstone, 2003.
• Guide to Complementary and Alternative Medicine
  on the Internet. By Lillian R. Brazin. New York
  Haworth Information Press, 2003.
• The Herbal Internet Companion Herbs and Herbal
  Medicine Online. By David Owen. New York
  Haworth Information Press, 2002.
•  

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CAM Electronic Resources Selected Website
Directories

• Alternative medicine health care information
  resources www-hsl.mcmaster.ca/tomflem/altmed.html
  
• www-hsl.mcmaster.ca/tomflem/altmed.html
• The Alternative Medicine Homepage
  www.pitt.edu/cbw/altm.htmlwww.pitt.edu/!cbw/alt
  m.html

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CAM Electronic Resources Selected Websites

• CAM on PubMed www.nlm.nih.gov/nccam/camonpubmed.h
  tml
• www.nlm.nih.gov/nccam/camonpubmed.html
• Canadian Health Network - Complementary and
  Alternative Health www.canadian-health-network.ca
  /
• www.canadian-health-network.ca/
• MEDLINEplus Alternative Medicine
  www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alternativemedicine.h
  tmlwww.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alternativemedicin
  e.html
• National Center for Complementary and Alternative
  Medicine (NCCAM) www.nccam.nih.gov/www.nccam.nih
  .gov/

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CAM Courses

• Evidence-Based Approach to Complementary and
  Alternative Medicine
• - MLA 2005 CE course taught by Stephanie
  Weldon
• How to Find Good Complementary Alternative
  Medicine (CAM) Information on the Web
• - MLA accredited online course taught by
  Diane Kovacs
• http//www.kovacs.com/mlacealt.html

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CAM Readings

• Curry, Ann. Information on Alternative Medicine
  A Collection Management Issue. Bulletin of the
  Medical Library Association January 1998
  86(1)95-100.
• http//www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fc
  gi?artid226331blobtypepdf
• Owen, David and Fang, Min-Lin.
  Information-Seeking Behavior in Complementary and
  Alternative Medicine (CAM) An Online Survey of
  Faculty at a Health Sciences Campus. Journal of
  the Medical Library Association July 2003
  91(3)311-321.
• http//www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerende
  r.fcgi?artid164394
• Walji, Muhammed et al. Efficacy of Quality
  Criteria to Identify Potentially Harmful
  Information A Cross-Sectional Survey of
  Complementary and Alternative Medicine Web Sites.
  Journal of Medical Internet Research 6(2)article
  e21.
• http//www.jmir.org/2004/2/e21/