Traditional healing practices and treatment by medical practitioners

This project is a pilot study to explore the incorporation of patients' traditional healing practices into treatment by medical practitioners working in Aboriginal Medical Services (AMSs) throughout Australia.

While it is known that many Indigenous Australians utilise traditional medicines, it is not known to what extent this happens, what those traditional medicines are, what they are being used for and if or how health services take account of their use.

The primary advantage of answering these questions will be to provide practitioners with information about common traditional medicines used and how other practitioners incorporate or manage their use in conjunction with western medical practice.

This project involves two phases:

Phase one is a survey of AMSs in Australia using a questionnaire, to determine to what degree patients' utilisation of traditional medicines is taken into account in the treatment planning.

Phase two involves interviews with practitioners who had indicated that their involvement is to identify what traditional practices they incorporate, for what disorders and how they combine them with western medical practices.

Funding Source: Australasian Integrative Medicines Association  AUD$10000.

Project Team: Professor Don Gorman, Odette Best, Raelene Ward