Use of complementary and alternative medicine at Norwegian and Danish hospitals

Table 4 Selected data from interviews with contact persons

		Norway %/n (total number of contact persons = 64)	Denmark %/n (total number of contact persons = 38)
Year of start-up	Before 2000	45,3%/29	26%/10
	After 2000	46,9%/30	74%/28
	Not given	7,8%/5	0
Motive for starting up	Pain relief:	17%/11	0 ***
	Treatment without side effects:	6%/4	21%/8
	Scientific evidence:	5%/3*	32%/12
	Interest from the employees:	25%/16	21%/8
	Interest from patients:	9%/6	8%/3
	Other:	38%/24**	18%/7**
Ongoing research projects on CAM		9%/6	42%/15
CAM offered to employees		23%/15	59%/23
Information given about CAM		84%/54	74%/28
CAM or not	Yes	36%/23	43%/16
	No	53%/34	57%/22
	Do not know	11%/7

* The argument of scientific evidence was often used as a reason for why the treatment was not considered as CAM and not as much as a motive for starting up.
** Examples of other motives: "in fashion", extra offer, successful attempt against weight loss/nausea, heard the treatment worked, when nothing else work, good impact on health according to bad sleep/anxiety/immune system/energy, holistic approach.
*** The reason why "pain relief" is not reported as a motive for starting up use of CAM in Danish hospitals might be that it is included in the other four motives. As seen in table 5 pain relief is an important indication for use of acupuncture in Danish hospitals.

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