Canadian Family Physicians and Complementary/Alternative Medicine: The Role of Practice Setting, Medical Training, and Province of Practice*

The present study sheds some light on how and why Canadian family physicians offer complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) services to their patients. Our results suggest that organizational settings discourage physicians from offering CAM, while solo clinics are most conducive. Physicians trained in French-language medical schools are less likely than their English-language trained colleagues to offer CAM services, and those in British Columbia are the most likely to do so. Provincial differences do not appear to be related to the presence or absence of "negative proof" legislation that is considered to facilitate CAM provision by physicians.