Nutritional Supplements: Most Doctors and Nurses Take Them

A Newswise.com press release states that a new study done by the Council for Responsible Nutrition found that 79% of doctors and 82% of nurses recommend nutritional supplements to their patients. The same study found that 72% of the doctors used supplements themselves. While 82% of nurses recommended supplements to their patients, a higher percentage of 89% used supplements themselves. The percentage for the overall population who use supplements is at 68 percent, which the study states is a total of 150 million Americans.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition is the leading trade association of the dietary supplement industry, according to their web site. The study was part of a wellness campaign called Life...Supplemented and was a Health-care Professionals Impact Study.

The study surveyed 1,177 health care professionals. Three hundred primary care doctors, three hundred and one OB/GYNs, and two hundred ninety nine other specialists participated in the survey. Two hundred seventy seven registered nurses or nurse practitioners participated in the study. The study was completed on-line in October of 2007. According to the press release, a small fee was paid to the professionals for their participation in the survey.

One of the surprising findings of the survey was that, although 79% of the doctors reported recommending supplements to their patients, only 25% of the doctors stated that they "actively counsel patients" about the use of the supplements. Tieraona Low Dog, M.D. and director of education, in the Program in Integrative Medicine and clinical assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Arizona Health Services, states that this "...demonstrates an on-going and concerning problem that requires more outreach and education". Paula Garniner, M.D., an assistant professor at Boston University Medical Center and one of the study's advisers says that additional research is needed and that it is critical to understand... "how we can support educational initiatives to encourage dialogue between HCP's and their patients about the proper use of dietary supplements".

One of the most disturbing findings of the survey, according to the results on the lifesupplemented.org website is that not all of the OB/GYN doctors reported recommending pre-natal supplements to their patients. Dr. Donnica Moore, M.D. and president of the Sapphire Women's Health Group is another one of the study's advisers. She states that pre-natal care is "one arena where the data supporting supplement use is overwhelmingly positive".

According to the press release, the study was initiated because lifesupplemented.org found that medical literature was not consistent in its approach to supplements and because they felt the need to find out if health-care professionals were recommending to their patients a therapy that the professionals personally felt beneficial and that they had incorporated into their own health regimen.

Sources used:

www.newswise.com/articles/view/535383/?sc=dwtr
Physicians, Nurses Both Take, Recommend Supplements

www.lifesupplemented.org/about.htm

www.lifesupplemented.org/articles/news/study_finds_physicians_and_nurses_both_take_and_recommend_dietary_supplements.htm