CIH (Complementary and Integrative Healthcare): Overview

Abstract

This entry discusses terminology, definitions, and research examining communication about complementary and integrative healthcare (CIH) between patients and clinicians. The terminology of modern CIH is deeply intertwined with the history and acceptance of CIH forms as legitimate therapies worldwide. Health communication scholarship began with examining how language was used to discuss CIH, ultimately advocating for terms like holistic over terms like complementary or alternative , which center biomedicine as the norm. While widely studied in health sciences, the primary issue for health communication has been measuring patient disclosure of CIH use to biomedical clinicians. Health communication research generally uses self‐report data with little attention paid to the actual communication or interaction. A growing body of research uses direct observation – typically in the form of audio/video recordings of clinician–patient interactions – to examine the process of CIH communication. While CIH communication is relatively underemphasized in health communication generally, the discipline increasingly recognizes CIH as a significant area for future research. Whether focused on specific forms such as traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, supplements, mindfulness, or arts/music therapy, or focused on the process of institutional integration, health communication scholars have examined questions of language and translation, social construction, and clinician–patient or healer–patient interaction.