Complementary and integrative health education in the medical school curriculum: An interest survey

Objective: The use of complementary and integrative health (CIH) modalities continues to increase; yet, there is limited instruction in these methods in undergraduate medical-school curricula. The objective of this research was to evaluate interest in developing a CIH curriculum at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), in Bethesda, MD. Materials and Methods: Students and faculty of the USUHS were emailed a 10-question online survey and responded via a Likert scale and open-ended questions. Results: There was interest in learning more about CIH; 65% of student survey respondents and 61% of faculty survey respondents indicated that they "probably" or "definitely" believe that a curriculum in CIH should be instituted at the USUHS. Conclusions: The addition of a curriculum in CIH would be beneficial to future patients who will benefit from the students' additional knowledge and experiences. This curriculum would also benefit the students who would be able to use their knowledge of CIH practices to relieve stress and mitigate burnout.