New Peer-Reviewed Published Study on the Status of Homeopathy Taught in U.S. Pharmacy Schools
More than half (84 of 137) of U.S. schools of pharmacy that responded to a survey reported teaching homeopathy to pharmacy students. In addition, most of the 18 interviewed faculty emphasized that pharmacists should be knowledgeable and able to counsel patients effectively on homeopathic products. That’s according to “Teaching Homeopathy in U.S. Pharmacy Schools,” published in the current issue of Innovations in Pharmacy, Vol. 15 No. 3, Aug. 22, 2024.
The study was co-authored by William Doucette, PhD, the Deborah K. Veal Professor in Health-Care Policy in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Iowa. Dr. Doucette gave an overview of the data he collected in Winter 2021–2022 at the AAHP Industry Reception for the Integrative Medicine Retailer Award, Sept. 20, 2023. At the event, Dr. Doucette said the study emphasized preparing pharmacists to be reliable sources of information for patients when they ask about homeopathic products.
“Pharmacists often advise patients on the use of over-the counter medications. A class of medications that is growing in popularity is homeopathic products. Little is known about student pharmacists are being educated about homeopathy,” writes Doucette. “The objectives of this study were to describe homeopathic topics being taught in pharmacy schools and to evaluate faculty views about pharmacists’ roles in counseling patients about homeopathic products.”
Dr. Doucette worked with the American Foundation of Pharmaceutical Education (AFPE). Among other activities, AFPE funds research conducted at pharmacy schools on a wide range of topics in pharmaceutical and social and administrative sciences. AAHP members may remember AFPE President Ellen Woods presented at last year’s AAHP Semiannual Membership Meeting back on Oct. 12, 2023. She and Jingjing Qian, PhD, associate professor, Harrison College of Pharmacy, Auburn University, Alabama, will be speaking during the Sept. 27, 2024 AAHP Semiannual Membership Meeting on a research project proposed by our association on the safety of homeopathic. Read more in the Sept. 2024 President’s Message.
For Doucette’s study, online surveys were distributed to 3,300 pharmacy practice faculty members representing all schools accredited in the U.S. Moreover, 18 interviews of faculty involved with teaching homeopathy were conducted to learn about homeopathy teaching and expectations about roles of pharmacists in counseling patients.
The study concludes, “The findings support pharmacists knowing key basic information about homeopathic products, such as the concept of dilution, FDA regulation of homeopathic products, the principle of similars and how to read homeopathic dosage notation. In addition, those teaching homeopathy suggested that pharmacists should be knowledgeable about counseling patients about homeopathic products to meet their professional responsibility as medication experts.”
AAHP feels this work has established an important baseline of information from which to begin the discussion of teaching homeopathy in U.S. pharmacy schools. The association has learned of talk of follow-up surveys to build on this baseline.
The entire study can be downloaded for free as a PDF, which is copyrighted by the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing; permission is required for the study to be reused.