Nicholson Tonia
Department of Emergency Medicine, Waikato Hospital, Private Bag 3200, Hamilton.
N Z Med J. 2006 May 5;119(1233):U1954.
To establish the prevalence of use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM), including traditional Maori therapies, their perceived benefit, and frequency of adverse effects among presenters to an emergency department (ED) in New Zealand.
An analytical cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of patients and relatives presenting to a large tertiary ED (Waikato Hospital, Hamilton) was undertaken. Consenting participants completed a specifically designed questionnaire.
1043 people completed the questionnaire (participation rate 97.2%). 1 in 3 (397 or 38.1%) people had used CAM, including 29 who had used a traditional Maori therapy. CAM use was significantly more likely in females (p<0.0001), those aged 20-60 yrs (p<0.001), and in those of European ethnicity (p=0.01). Only 148 (37.3%) people had told their medical practitioner that they were using CAM, and 103 (25.9%) had used conventional medicines concurrently. Most people (266, 67%) believed that CAM had been beneficial. Adverse effects were reported by 16 people (4% of users).
Many ED presenters in New Zealand use CAM. These may be associated with adverse effects, toxicity, and interactions with conventional medicines, although the incidence of these appears to be low. Doctors in New Zealand should routinely specifically enquire about the use of CAM during patient assessment.
确定在新西兰一家急诊科就诊的患者中，补充和替代医学（包括传统毛利疗法）的使用情况、其感知到的益处以及不良反应的发生频率。
对一家大型三级急诊科（汉密尔顿怀卡托医院）的患者及亲属便利样本进行分析性横断面调查。同意参与的受试者填写一份专门设计的问卷。
1043人完成了问卷（参与率97.2%）。三分之一（397人，占38.1%）的人使用过补充和替代医学，其中29人使用过传统毛利疗法。女性（p<0.0001）、20至60岁的人（p<0.001）以及欧洲族裔的人（p=0.01）使用补充和替代医学的可能性显著更高。只有148人（37.3%）告知过他们的医生自己正在使用补充和替代医学，103人（25.9%）同时使用过传统药物。大多数人（266人，占67%）认为补充和替代医学有益。16人（占使用者的4%）报告了不良反应。
新西兰许多在急诊科就诊的患者使用补充和替代医学。这些可能与不良反应、毒性以及与传统药物的相互作用有关，尽管这些情况的发生率似乎较低。新西兰的医生在对患者进行评估时应常规且专门询问补充和替代医学的使用情况。
