Use of complementary and alternative medicine by patients attending a rhinology outpatient clinic

作者：Newton Jonathan R^*; Santangeli Louise; Shakeel Muhammad; Ram Bhaskar

来源：American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy, 2009, 23(1): 59-63.

DOI：10.2500/ajra.2009.23.3264

• Alternative medicine
• clinic
• complementary medicine
• outpatient
• polyps
• rhinology
• rhinosinusitis

Background: There arc 50,000 practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) within the United Kingdom. The current U.K. prevalence of CAM use is reported to be 25% and is rising. The national expenditure on CAM is an estimated 1.6 billion. The aim of this study was to explore the pattern of CAM use in patients attending a rhinology outpatient clinic in Aberdeen.
Methods: Questionnaires were provided to 100 patients over a 2-month period. The questionnaire consisted of demographic sections and whether they had ever used CAM from a list of 49 herbal and nonherbal alternative therapies. Subjects were also asked why they used CAM, where they learned of CAM, whether they found it efficacious, and whether their general practitioner was aware they were using it.
Results: One hundred subjects completed question noires. Patients attending the clinic were suffering from the most common rhinological complaints including rhinosinusitis and nasal polyps. Sixty-five percent of patients had ever used CAM. Women were statistically significantly more likely to use CAM than men (p = 0.012). Patients who were employed were more likely to use CAM, but there ZOOS 110 significant difference in CAM usage depending on marital status, social class, and age. Only 6% of patients felt CAM use was definitely ineffective. Only 43% of users of CAM had informed their doctor about its use.
Conclusion: CAM usage is growing in popularity. All health care professionals should be aware of this and of the potential for adverse drug reactions occurring. The dangers of noncompliance with conventional medications should be emphasized to CAM users.

• 出版日期2009-2