Table 2 Prevalence of use of information sources to inform clinical decision-making by naturopathic practitioners (NP) (n = 453), NP perceptions of importance to patient that clinical decisions are informed by the information source, and NP trust of knowledge acquired from the information source
Information source | Use | Perceived importance to patient that clinical decisions are informed by information sourcea,b | Level of practitioner trust of knowledge acquired from information sourcea,c |
|---|---|---|---|
N (%) | Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | |
Information published in scientific journals by researchers | 364 (80.4) | 2.45 (0.91) | 2.46 (0.58) |
Information gathered from conferences or other professional events | 354 (78.2) | 2.85 (1.03) | 2.45 (0.63) |
Information published in modern naturopathic clinical textbooks (published in the last 10Â years) | 338 (74.6) | 2.78 (1.01) | 2.26 (0.64) |
Information from laboratory tests, pathology or radiology tests | 335 (74.0) | 2.81 (1.88) | 1.99 (0.57) |
Information published in professional journals for clinicians | 333 (73.5) | 2.64 (0.91) | 2.46 (0.58) |
Information provided by the patient | 309 (68.2) | 1.49 (0.69) | 2.31 (0.72) |
Information published in general clinical textbooks | 296 (65.3) | 2.76 (0.98) | 2.33 (0.65) |
Information from clinical guidelines | 248 (54.8) | 2.57 (0.99) | 2.44 (0.68) |
Information provided by product companies | 230 (50.8) | 3.39 (1.03) | 2.88 (0.68) |
Information published in traditional naturopathic textbooks (published more than 50Â years ago) | 193 (42.6) | 3.12 (1.03) | 2.62 (0.71) |