The continuous increase in the use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) requires health professionals to be prepared to inform and treat their patients, recognize side effects and drug interactions, and safely practice complementary medicines, whether singly or in combination with conventional medicine. The current study includes a systematic literature review on the teaching of CAM in medical schools, with the aim of reflecting on the published evidence. A total of 33 articles were analyzed, indexed in the Pubmed database, identified by the descriptors "complementary and alternative medicine teaching" in English and Portuguese. The articles discussed different ways of in cluding complementary and alternative medicines in teaching, positive attitudes towards them by medical students, and the desire to learn them in order to treat and orient future patients. In conclusion, the rationale for teaching CAM in medical schools is to add diagnostic and therapeutic tools to medical practice for patient care, disease prevention, and health promotion at various levels of complexity in the health system.
Institutional Medical Education; Teaching; Complementary Therapies
