Patterns of Using Complementary and Alternative Medicine by Stroke Patients at Two University Hospitals in Korea

Abstract

This study measured the prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among Korean stroke patients. Questionnaire-based 20-min interviews were conducted at the hospitals by a trained nurse after an outpatient visit. It included questions on demographic information, clinical information and the utilization of CAM. Of 304 stroke-patient respondents, 164 (54%) had used CAM, of which 66% had started taking CAM products following suggestions from family members and other relatives. Of the 57% of users who felt that CAM was effective, 84% considered that it improved the symptoms of stroke and 16% felt it was effective in achieving psychological relaxation. Of the eight CAM categories used by respondents, 92% used traditional Oriental medical treatments, 36% used plant- and animal-derived over-the-counter health care products, 24% used minerals and vitamins, and 11% used manual therapies. The majority of stroke patients (68%) were trying a new type of CAM, and half of the respondents (45%) relied on the knowledge of their general practitioner about CAMs when deciding whether to use them. Most of the stroke patients in this study used CAM, and a half of them reported beneficial effects. Despite the presence of adverse side effects, they tended to be used without discussion with chief physicians, and hence physicians should be actively involved in the usage of CAM.

Use of complementary and alternative medicine in a pediatric population in southern Turkey

“…Shin reported that 24% of study participants experienced some negative e ects of CAM therapies [16]. e low reporting rate of side e ects in the present study was attributed to the use of prayer rather than herbal products as the most commonly used CAM method in children.…”

“…erefore, health care professionals must be aware of the e ectiveness, dosages, side-e ects, toxicities and potential drug interactions of CAM modalities. Vitamin use in children is reported to vary between 13% and 24% [7,16]. Ball reported that vitamin use in children with a chronic disease (such as leukemia, asthma, cystic brosis, seizure disorder) varied between 42-100% [19].…”

“…Similarly, Lanski reported that in the USA 80% of families obtained information about CAM mostly from friends and relatives [12]. A study undertaken in South Korea showed that family members and other relatives served as the main source of information for 66% of patients [16]. Shakeel reported that in the UK, friends and family were the main source of information for 68% of families, compared with 36% who consulted healthcare sta and 26% who consulted mass media [22].…”

“…e questionnaire was prepared with the cooperation of two centers (Kirikkale University and Gaziantep University), based on a review of published subject-related data . A pilot study was carried out to test the comprehensibility of the questions [2,[13][14][15][16]. ese data were then used to develop the nal version of the questionnaire.…”

The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Turkish Patients with Rheumatic Diseases

“…This is similar to the results of previous studies assessing the use of CAM. [6,8,17] Only 13.6% of the users had been referred by their physicians in our study. On the other hand, less than half (39.5%) of the users had discussed the use of CAM with their physicians, who were frequently indifferent toward the use of CAM by their patients.…”