Processes and Outcomes from a Medical Student Research Training Program in Integrative, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine.
Brad E Dicianno, Ronald M Glick, Gwendolyn A Sowa and 1 others
PMID 27088478WHAT IT FOUND
Twenty-five medical students completed a summer research program in integrative, complementary, and alternative medicine.
They reported higher self-assessed knowledge of ICAM topics after training and produced 38 additional scientific outputs, including manuscripts, conference abstracts, and awards.
Key findings
01All 25 students completed the program successfully.
02Students reported higher self-assessed knowledge in all 7 ICAM topic areas after the program.
03The trainees produced 38 additional scientific outputs, including 3 published scientific manuscripts, 24 national conference abstracts, and 5 international conference abstracts.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study evaluated medical students in a research training program, not licensed therapists or patient outcomes, so it does not tell clinicians how to treat patients. There was no control group or comparison with usual training, so changes cannot be attributed to the program alone. Knowledge gain was self-reported on a 0 to 3 scale, not an objective examination. Only short-term outcomes were collected; long-term effects after residency were not measured. The exit survey had 20 responses (80%) because it was not collected until year 2, so some feedback is missing. The sample was a single program at one medical school, so it may not generalise to other institutions or to therapy training programs. Racial and gender diversity was limited: many students were of Asian descent, and female and ethnic minority representation fell below the student body. One student in the School of Medicine reported a disability and did not participate in summer research.
Declared interests
The program was supported by an NIH training award (5T35AT005933-02) from 2010 to 2015. The supplied text does not include a separate author conflict-of-interest declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that ICAM therapies are effective for patients. The study measured medical students' self-assessed knowledge and research output, not patient outcomes, and it had no control group.