Background
The complementary medicine professional landscape in Australia
The Practitioner Research and Collaboration Initiative (PRACI)
Methods
Study design
Aims and objectives
Participants
The workforce survey
Sociodemographic characteristics
Practice characteristics
Survey administration
Analysis
Results
non-PRACI members (n = 500) | PRACI members (n = 764) |
p value | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Characteristics | Mean (± SE) | Confidence interval | Mean (± SE) | Confidence interval | |
Age (Mean ± SE) | 47.9 ± 0.5 | 46.9–48.9 | 47.8 ± 0.4 | 46.9–48.6 | 0.26 |
Characteristics | Frequency | Percentage | Frequency | Percentage | |
Gender | |||||
Female | 393 | 78.6% | 581 | 76.2% | 0.26 |
Male | 107 | 21.4% | 182 | 23.9% | |
State/Territorya
| |||||
Australian Capital Territory | 7 | 1.4% | 10 | 1.3% | 0.76 |
New South Wales | 65 | 13.0% | 174 | 22.8% | 0.14 |
Northern Territory | 6 | 1.2% | 4 | 0.5% | 0.08 |
Queensland | 96 | 19.2% | 188 | 24.6% | 0.83 |
South Australia | 26 | 5.2% | 44 | 5.8% | 0.41 |
Tasmania | 10 | 2.0% | 21 | 2.8% | 0.99 |
Victoria | 121 | 24.2% | 265 | 34.7% | 0.65 |
Western Australia | 46 | 9.2% | 66 | 8.6% | 0.08 |
Virtual | 5 | 1.0% | 10 | 1.3% | 0.62 |
Locationa
| |||||
Urban | 404 | 80.8% | 630 | 82.5% | 0.71 |
Rural | 120 | 24.0% | 179 | 23.4% | 0.56 |
Remote | 8 | 1.6% | 17 | 2.2% | 0.43 |
Very Remote | 6 | 0.6% | 5 | 0.7% | 0.76 |
Years since first qualification | |||||
Less than 5 years | 81 | 16.2% | 147 | 19.2% | 0.31 |
5 to 9 years | 75 | 15.0% | 117 | 15.3% | |
10 to 14 years | 95 | 19.0% | 153 | 20% | |
15 to 19 years | 136 | 27.2% | 175 | 22.9% | |
20 years or more | 113 | 22.6% | 172 | 22.5% |
AHPRA Registered Chinese Medicine practitioners (n = 4395)a
| Chinese Medicine PRACI membersb (n = 100) |
p-value | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Characteristics | Frequency | Percentage | Frequency | Percentage | |
Gender | |||||
Female | 2354 | 53.6% | 62 | 62.0% | 0.09 |
Male | 2041 | 46.4% | 38 | 38.0% | |
State/Territoryc
| |||||
Australian Capital Territory | 69 | 1.6% | 1 | 1.0% | 0.65 |
New South Wales | 1769 | 40.3% | 24 | 24.0% | 0.001 |
Northern Territory | 17 | 0.4% | 0 | 0.0% | 0.53 |
Queensland | 828 | 18.8% | 36 | 36.0% | <0.001 |
South Australia | 169 | 3.85% | 11 | 11.0% | <0.001 |
Tasmania | 35 | 0.8% | 1 | 1.0% | 0.82 |
Victoria | 1235 | 28.0% | 23 | 23.0% | 0.26 |
Western Australia | 229 | 5.0% | 6 | 6.0% | 0.73 |
Sociodemographic characteristics
Practice characteristics
Professional qualification and practice interest
Practice specialties | Frequency | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Professional qualificationa
| ||
Massage therapy | 447 | 58.5% |
Naturopathy | 202 | 26.4% |
Non-complementary medicine health qualification | 124 | 16.2% |
Nutrition | 110 | 14.4% |
Reflexology | 102 | 13.4% |
Acupuncture | 96 | 12.6% |
Western herbal medicine | 95 | 12.4% |
Myotherapy | 69 | 9.0% |
Aromatherapy | 60 | 7.9% |
Homeopathy | 52 | 6.8% |
Chinese herbal medicine | 50 | 6.5% |
Bowen therapy | 49 | 6.5% |
Kinesiology | 39 | 5.1% |
Yoga | 30 | 3.9% |
Ayurveda | 3 | 0.4% |
Practice specialties | ||
General health and wellbeing | 576 | 75.4% |
Musculoskeletal conditions | 550 | 72.0% |
Pain management | 478 | 62.6% |
Digestive disorders | 445 | 58.3% |
Women’s health | 442 | 57.9% |
Mental health | 390 | 51.1% |
Allergies and sensitivities | 385 | 50.4% |
Complex and chronic diseases | 377 | 49.4% |
Sports | 373 | 48.8% |
Endocrine health | 370 | 48.4% |
Weight | 345 | 45.2% |
Skin | 332 | 43.5% |
Cardiovascular disease | 327 | 42.8% |
Respiratory | 322 | 42.2% |
Men’s health | 301 | 39.4% |
Oncology | 274 | 35.9% |
Ear, nose and throat | 269 | 35.2% |
Paediatrics | 251 | 32.9% |
Renal | 217 | 28.4% |
Gerontology | 160 | 20.9% |
Practice specialties | Acupuncture | Aromatherapy | Ayurveda | Bowen therapy | Chinese herbal med. | Homeopathy | Kinesiology | Massage therapy | Myotherapy | Naturopathy | Nutrition | Reflexology | Western herbal medicine | Yoga | ||||||||||||||
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Allergies and sensitivities | 67 | 69.8 | 41 | 68.3 | 3 | 100.0 | 20 | 40.8 | 36 | 72.0 | 43 | 82.7 | 31 | 79.5 | 179 | 40.0 | 20 | 29.0 | 139 | 68.8 | 79 | 71.8 | 58 | 56.9 | 68 | 71.6 | 14 | 46.7 |
Cardiovascular disease | 63 | 65.6 | 34 | 56.7 | 3 | 100.0 | 19 | 38.8 | 33 | 66.0 | 35 | 67.3 | 19 | 48.7 | 157 | 35.1 | 22 | 31.9 | 111 | 55.0 | 64 | 58.2 | 49 | 48.0 | 59 | 62.1 | 16 | 53.3 |
Complex and chronic diseases | 73 | 76.0 | 36 | 60.0 | 2 | 66.7 | 24 | 49.0 | 38 | 76.0 | 42 | 80.8 | 25 | 64.1 | 179 | 40.0 | 27 | 39.1 | 132 | 65.3 | 66 | 60.0 | 52 | 51.0 | 67 | 70.5 | 17 | 56.7 |
Digestive disorders | 79 | 82.3 | 43 | 71.7 | 3 | 100.0 | 27 | 55.1 | 43 | 86.0 | 45 | 86.5 | 30 | 76.9 | 194 | 43.4 | 27 | 39.1 | 165 | 81.7 | 90 | 81.8 | 68 | 66.7 | 80 | 84.2 | 19 | 63.3 |
Ear, nose and throat | 64 | 66.7 | 26 | 43.3 | 3 | 100.0 | 14 | 28.6 | 35 | 70.0 | 37 | 71.1 | 21 | 53.9 | 113 | 25.3 | 16 | 23.2 | 96 | 47.5 | 50 | 45.4 | 43 | 42.2 | 52 | 54.7 | 9 | 30.0 |
Endocrine health | 65 | 67.7 | 44 | 73.3 | 2 | 66.7 | 18 | 36.7 | 33 | 66.0 | 39 | 75.0 | 25 | 64.1 | 162 | 36.2 | 18 | 26.0 | 141 | 69.8 | 76 | 69.1 | 67 | 65.7 | 73 | 76.8 | 19 | 63.3 |
Women’s health | 82 | 85.4 | 47 | 78.3 | 3 | 100.0 | 25 | 51.0 | 44 | 88.0 | 45 | 86.5 | 29 | 74.4 | 205 | 45.9 | 32 | 46.4 | 160 | 79.2 | 86 | 78.2 | 69 | 67.6 | 79 | 83.2 | 23 | 76.7 |
General health and wellbeing | 79 | 82.3 | 54 | 90.0 | 3 | 100.0 | 39 | 79.6 | 40 | 80.0 | 41 | 78.9 | 36 | 92.3 | 325 | 72.7 | 43 | 62.3 | 158 | 78.2 | 88 | 80.0 | 86 | 84.3 | 78 | 82.1 | 26 | 86.7 |
Gerontology | 38 | 39.6 | 17 | 28.3 | 2 | 66.7 | 8 | 16.3 | 19 | 38.0 | 21 | 40.4 | 12 | 30.8 | 74 | 16.5 | 13 | 18.8 | 51 | 25.2 | 29 | 26.4 | 23 | 22.5 | 31 | 32.6 | 8 | 26.7 |
Men’s health | 65 | 67.7 | 34 | 56.7 | 3 | 100.0 | 18 | 36.7 | 34 | 68.0 | 34 | 65.4 | 21 | 53.8 | 151 | 33.8 | 20 | 29.0 | 107 | 53.0 | 58 | 52.7 | 39 | 38.2 | 56 | 59.0 | 11 | 36.7 |
Mental health | 69 | 71.9 | 41 | 68.3 | 3 | 100.0 | 23 | 46.9 | 37 | 74.0 | 42 | 80.8 | 29 | 74.4 | 187 | 41.8 | 24 | 34.8 | 137 | 67.8 | 78 | 70.9 | 50 | 49.0 | 72 | 75.8 | 21 | 70.0 |
Musculoskeletal conditions | 83 | 86.5 | 51 | 85.0 | 3 | 100.0 | 42 | 85.7 | 42 | 84.0 | 34 | 65.4 | 32 | 82.0 | 353 | 79.0 | 65 | 94.2 | 107 | 53.0 | 60 | 54.6 | 80 | 78.4 | 57 | 60.0 | 21 | 70.0 |
Oncology | 54 | 56.3 | 30 | 50.0 | 1 | 33.3 | 16 | 32.7 | 31 | 62.0 | 30 | 57.7 | 12 | 30.8 | 139 | 31.1 | 20 | 28.9 | 85 | 42.1 | 46 | 41.8 | 44 | 43.1 | 45 | 47.4 | 15 | 50.0 |
Pain management | 83 | 86.5 | 46 | 76.7 | 3 | 100.0 | 31 | 63.3 | 45 | 90.0 | 32 | 61.5 | 32 | 82.1 | 282 | 63.1 | 54 | 78.3 | 103 | 51.0 | 52 | 47.3 | 67 | 65.7 | 50 | 52.6 | 16 | 53.3 |
Paediatrics | 58 | 60.4 | 20 | 33.3 | 2 | 66.7 | 13 | 26.5 | 32 | 64.0 | 36 | 69.2 | 19 | 48.7 | 110 | 24.6 | 15 | 21.7 | 104 | 51.5 | 56 | 50.9 | 29 | 28.4 | 51 | 53.7 | 8 | 26.7 |
Renal | 46 | 47.9 | 24 | 40.0 | 2 | 66.7 | 9 | 18.4 | 24 | 48.0 | 31 | 59.6 | 16 | 41.0 | 96 | 21.5 | 11 | 15.9 | 81 | 40.1 | 44 | 40.0 | 34 | 33.3 | 45 | 47.4 | 10 | 33.3 |
Respiratory | 66 | 68.9 | 36 | 60.0 | 3 | 100.0 | 20 | 40.8 | 36 | 72.0 | 38 | 73.1 | 22 | 56.4 | 147 | 32.9 | 21 | 30.4 | 107 | 53.0 | 55 | 50.0 | 55 | 53.9 | 58 | 61.1 | 15 | 50.0 |
Skin | 62 | 64.6 | 38 | 63.3 | 3 | 100.0 | 20 | 40.8 | 32 | 64.0 | 37 | 71.1 | 23 | 59.0 | 156 | 34.9 | 21 | 30.4 | 128 | 63.4 | 66 | 60.0 | 50 | 49.0 | 60 | 63.2 | 9 | 30.0 |
Sports | 51 | 53.1 | 31 | 51.7 | 2 | 66.7 | 29 | 59.2 | 25 | 50.0 | 29 | 55.8 | 24 | 61.5 | 250 | 55.9 | 43 | 62.3 | 84 | 41.6 | 56 | 50.9 | 41 | 40.2 | 46 | 48.4 | 15 | 50.0 |
Weight | 55 | 57.3 | 35 | 58.3 | 3 | 100.0 | 22 | 44.9 | 29 | 58.0 | 37 | 71.1 | 24 | 61.5 | 169 | 37.8 | 29 | 42.0 | 132 | 65.3 | 78 | 70.9 | 37 | 36.3 | 66 | 69.5 | 13 | 43.3 |
Practice specialties | Acupuncture | Aromatherapy | Ayurveda | Bowen therapy | Chinese herbal med. | Homeopathy | Kinesiology | Massage therapy | Myotherapy | Naturopathy | Nutrition | Reflexology | Western herbal medicine | Yoga | ||||||||||||||
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Australian Capital Territory | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 1.7 | 1 | 33.3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 8 | 1.8 | 1 | 1.5 | 2 | 1.0 | 1 | 0.9 | 2 | 2.0 | 1 | 1.1 | 1 | 3.3 |
New South Wales | 23 | 24.0 | 10 | 16.7 | 1 | 33.3 | 8 | 16.3 | 19 | 38.0 | 23 | 44.2 | 9 | 23.1 | 93 | 20.8 | 10 | 14.5 | 61 | 30.2 | 40 | 36.4 | 14 | 13.7 | 35 | 36.8 | 8 | 26.7 |
Northern Territory | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0.5 | 2 | 1.8 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 3.3 |
Queensland | 35 | 36.5 | 27 | 45.0 | 1 | 33.3 | 12 | 24.5 | 12 | 24.0 | 12 | 23.1 | 11 | 28.2 | 107 | 23.9 | 13 | 18.8 | 46 | 22.8 | 28 | 25.5 | 31 | 30.4 | 22 | 23.2 | 5 | 16.7 |
South Australia | 10 | 10.4 | 3 | 5.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 4 | 8.2 | 4 | 8.0 | 2 | 3.9 | 1 | 2.6 | 31 | 6.9 | 3 | 4.4 | 12 | 5.9 | 4 | 3.6 | 3 | 2.9 | 10 | 10.5 | 2 | 6.7 |
Tasmania | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 5 | 10.2 | 1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 2.6 | 15 | 3.4 | 0 | 0.0 | 3 | 1.5 | 1 | 0.9 | 5 | 4.9 | 2 | 2.1 | 1 | 3.3 |
Victoria | 23 | 24.0 | 16 | 26.7 | 1 | 33.3 | 14 | 28.6 | 11 | 22.0 | 10 | 19.2 | 14 | 35.9 | 161 | 36.0 | 38 | 55.1 | 63 | 31.2 | 26 | 23.6 | 27 | 26.5 | 16 | 16.8 | 7 | 23.3 |
Western Australia | 5 | 5.2 | 3 | 5.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 6 | 12.2 | 3 | 6.0 | 4 | 7.7 | 4 | 10.3 | 36 | 8.1 | 4 | 5.8 | 16 | 7.9 | 8 | 7.3 | 20 | 19.6 | 7 | 7.4 | 6 | 20.0 |
Virtual | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1.9 | 1 | 2.6 | 1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.0 | 5 | 2.5 | 2 | 1.8 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
Urban | 83 | 86.5 | 49 | 81.7 | 3 | 100.0 | 37 | 75.5 | 44 | 88.0 | 44 | 84.6 | 31 | 79.5 | 364 | 81.4 | 60 | 87.0 | 161 | 79.7 | 90 | 81.8 | 85 | 83.3 | 73 | 76.8 | 25 | 83.3 |
Rural | 16 | 16.7 | 13 | 21.7 | 1 | 33.3 | 13 | 26.5 | 10 | 20.0 | 11 | 21.2 | 11 | 28.2 | 108 | 24.2 | 14 | 20.3 | 49 | 24.3 | 20 | 18.2 | 24 | 23.5 | 18 | 19.0 | 6 | 20.0 |
Remote | 4 | 4.2 | 3 | 5.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 2.0 | 2 | 4.0 | 1 | 1.9 | 2 | 5.1 | 7 | 1.6 | 2 | 2.9 | 4 | 2.0 | 1 | 1.9 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 2.1 | 1 | 3.3 |
Very Remote | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 3 | 0.7 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 1.9 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 3.3 |