Attitudes and Knowledge of Community Pharmacists Toward Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Narrative Review

Context The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Australia is widespread, and self-treatment with CAM often occurs. Community pharmacies are a major supplier of CAM in Australia; consequently pharmacists may be approached by consumers in relation to self-treatment. Objectives The study intended to appraise peer-reviewed literature regarding the supply of CAM in retail pharmacies and pharmacists' knowledge and attitudes in relation to it. Design The research team performed a narrative review of peer-reviewed studies published between January 1997 and December 2017. Four electronic databases-Web of Science, ScienceDirect, CINAHL, and PubMed-were systematically searched using keywords. A search strategy was devised using 4 keywords: knowledge and attitude, complementary and alternative medicine, stress, and pharmacist. English-language, full-text studies were sought, and the team considered only the results of studies conducted in Australia or in countries with similar healthcare systems. Setting The study is a literature study. Results Performance rankings were considered, with 10 studies being identified. Pharmacists were generally positive about CAM; however, they displayed a degree of uncertainty, particularly about efficacy and safety, that pointed toward a lack of confidence and a desire for better education. Knowledge, both self-rated and assessed, was lacking. Few studies explored the use of CAMs for specific physical-health conditions and fewer still addressed mental health. Conclusions Pharmacists are ideally placed to interact with consumers and are often the first point of contact for those people wanting to self-treat. Pharmacists may lack the necessary practice knowledge and skills to appropriately advise consumers about CAM or about those conditions where self-treatment products fall predominantly into the CAM category, such as for stress.