Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the Military Health System
Aug 9, 2017
Published in: The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine [Epub October 2017]. doi: 10.1089/acm.2017.0236
Posted on RAND.org on October 31, 2017
Surveys of military personnel indicate substantial use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) that possibly exceeds use in the general U.S. population. Although military treatment facilities (MTFs) are known to offer CAM, surveys do not indicate where service members receive this care. This study offers a comprehensive system-wide accounting of the types of CAM offered across the military health system (MHS), the conditions for which it is used, and its level of use. These data will help MHS policymakers better support their population's healthcare needs.
A census survey of MTFs across the MHS on all CAM use, supplemented where possible by MHS utilization data.
Types of CAM offered by each MTF, reasons given for offering CAM, health conditions for which CAM is used, and number of patient visits for each CAM type.
The availability of CAM services in the MHS is widespread and is being used to address a range of challenging pain and mental health conditions.
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