Learning about patients' use of CAM can do the following: Strengthen rapport and build trust Provide an opportunity to discuss evidence for CAM and its plausibility and risks Sometimes help physicians and other health care practitioners (including pharmacists) identify and avoid potentially harmful interactions between drugs and CAM therapies or nutritional supplements Monitor patient progress Help patients determine whether they should use specific certified or licensed CAM practitioners Learn from patients' experiences with CAM Table Efficacy In 1992, the Office of Alternative Medicine in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was formed to study the efficacy and safety of alternative therapies.