TY - JOUR
T1 - Integrating CAM and biomedicine in primary care settings
T2 - Physicians' perspectives on boundaries and boundary work
AU - Shuval, Judith T.
AU - Gross, Revital
AU - Ashkenazi, Yael
AU - Schachter, Leora
PY - 2012/10
Y1 - 2012/10
N2 - In this article, we present the results of a study that was conducted among 15 family physicians who had incorporated complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) into their clinical work in Israel. We aimed to explore the types of boundaries those physicians encountered, how these boundaries were contoured, and under what circumstances they were crossed. We conducted in-depth interviews with the physicians in 2008, and found that epistemological and cognitive boundaries did not pose a problem for them. However, with regard to the organizational boundary, the participants indicated that it was necessary to use a variety of strategies before they could utilize their CAM skills. Many of the participants indicated that the epistemological differences between the biomedical and CAM paradigms, such as the absence of evidence-based medicine in CAM practices, are not important. The ease with which boundaries were crossed in the complex social context described here is characteristic of postmodern societies. On the whole, the integrative physicians interviewed can be viewed as "postmodern" professionals who reject the impermeability of many long-established boundaries and hierarchies.
AB - In this article, we present the results of a study that was conducted among 15 family physicians who had incorporated complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) into their clinical work in Israel. We aimed to explore the types of boundaries those physicians encountered, how these boundaries were contoured, and under what circumstances they were crossed. We conducted in-depth interviews with the physicians in 2008, and found that epistemological and cognitive boundaries did not pose a problem for them. However, with regard to the organizational boundary, the participants indicated that it was necessary to use a variety of strategies before they could utilize their CAM skills. Many of the participants indicated that the epistemological differences between the biomedical and CAM paradigms, such as the absence of evidence-based medicine in CAM practices, are not important. The ease with which boundaries were crossed in the complex social context described here is characteristic of postmodern societies. On the whole, the integrative physicians interviewed can be viewed as "postmodern" professionals who reject the impermeability of many long-established boundaries and hierarchies.
KW - alternative and complementary medicine
KW - boundaries
KW - health care, primary
KW - relationships, patient-provider
KW - sociology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84865613714&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1049732312450326
DO - 10.1177/1049732312450326
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C2 - 22811303
AN - SCOPUS:84865613714
SN - 1049-7323
VL - 22
SP - 1317
EP - 1329
JO - Qualitative Health Research
JF - Qualitative Health Research
IS - 10
ER -