Ethical Issues in Complementary and Alternative Medicine

There has been a dramatic rise in the use and acceptance of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies in the United States. However, there are ethical issues that remain unresolved surrounding provider oversight, inconsistent legislative mandates regarding definitions about standards of care and scope of practice, liability issues for providers and organizations, and lack of knowledge about CAM therapies.

Purpose/GoalThe outcome of this course is for the learner to describe the major ethical issues facing biomedical providers, the rise of Integrate medicine, specific ethical theories, and the relationship between culture and ethics.

Course Objectives – Upon completion you will be able to do the following:

1. Describe the factors contributing to the rise in complementary and alternative medicine in the United States.
2. Explain the characteristics of CAM therapies.
3. Identify key events contributing to the rise of biomedicine and provider regulation.
4. Differentiate between key ethical theories and principles.
5. Examine the ethical issues related to CAM therapies.
6. Identify the relationship between culture and ethics.