Clay Patrick G, Clauson Kevin A, Glaros Alan
Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy, University of Missouri, USA ; Kansas City Free Health Clinic, Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, West Palm Beach Program, Nova Southeastern University, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA.
Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2004 Nov;65(6):481-94. doi: 10.1016/j.curtheres.2005.01.005.
The rate of use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been documented to fluctuate widely, can greatly impact medical outcomes, and can influence patients' adherence to conventional medicines. Health care providers should assess the prevalence of CAM use (primarily herbal medicine) in individual settings to most accurately provide appropriate patient care.
THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE FOLLOWING: (1) differences in demographic characteristics between users and nonusers of CAM; (2) which CAM patients are using; (3) patients' sources of information concerning CAM; and (4) whether patients recall being asked about CAM use by their health care providers.
In this single-center, pilot study, a self-administered survey concerning CAM use was made available to persons seeking care at an inner-city free health clinic (Kansas City Free Health Clinic, Kansas City, Missouri). Completed surveys were scanned into a database, and descriptive analyses were performed.
Three hundred eleven patients completed ≥1 question on the survey. Of those who reported race (n = 278), 168 (60.4%) were Caucasian/white, 73 (26.3%) were African American/black, and 24 (8.6%) were Hispanic/Latino. Of those who reported educational level (n = 287), 101 (35.2%) had some high school or were high school graduates or had a general equivalency development diploma, 102 (35.5%) had completed some college or vocational training, and 84 (29.3%) had completed college. Of those who reported personal annual income (n = 191), 107 (56.0%) reported up to US $15,000, and 54 (28.3%) reported >$15,000 to $30,000. A high rate of CAM use (past or present) was found among survey respondents (116/285 [40.7%]). No correlation was found between CAM use and any of the demographic characteristics studied. Of 98 patients reporting whether their CAM use was past or current, 64 (65.3%) were using CAM at the time of the survey. Friends and physicians were reported to be most supportive of CAM use (21/41 [51.2%] and 33/86 [38.4%] patients, respectively). The most common CAM products reported as being currently used were garlic and chamomile (both, 5 patients [7.1%]), and echinacea and ginseng (both, 3 patients [4.7%]).
This survey of patients using an inner-city free health clinic showed a high rate of CAM use, which could significantly impact patient outcomes.
补充和替代医学（CAM）的使用比例波动很大，这已被记录在案，其会对医疗结果产生重大影响，并能影响患者对传统药物的依从性。医疗服务提供者应评估个体环境中CAM（主要是草药）的使用情况，以便最准确地提供适当的患者护理。
本研究的目的是确定以下内容：（1）CAM使用者和非使用者在人口统计学特征上的差异；（2）患者正在使用哪些CAM；（3）患者关于CAM的信息来源；（4）患者是否记得其医疗服务提供者曾询问过他们关于CAM的使用情况。
在这项单中心试点研究中，向在市中心免费健康诊所（密苏里州堪萨斯城免费健康诊所）寻求治疗的人员提供了一份关于CAM使用情况的自填式调查问卷。完成的调查问卷被扫描到数据库中，并进行了描述性分析。
311名患者至少完成了调查问卷上的1个问题。在报告种族的患者中（n = 278），168名（60.4%）为白种人/白人，73名（26.3%）为非裔美国人/黑人，24名（8.6%）为西班牙裔/拉丁裔。在报告教育水平的患者中（n = 287），101名（35.2%）有一些高中教育经历或为高中毕业生或拥有普通同等学历证书，102名（35.5%）完成了一些大学教育或职业培训，84名（29.3%）完成了大学教育。在报告个人年收入的患者中（n = 191），107名（56.0%）报告年收入至多为15,000美元，54名（28.3%）报告年收入超过15,000美元至30,000美元。在调查对象中发现CAM的高使用率（过去或现在）（116/285 [40.7%]）。未发现CAM使用与所研究的任何人口统计学特征之间存在相关性。在98名报告其CAM使用是过去还是现在的患者中，64名（65.3%）在调查时正在使用CAM。据报告，朋友和医生对CAM使用的支持度最高（分别为21/41 [51.2%]和33/86 [38.4%]的患者）。报告目前正在使用的最常见CAM产品是大蒜和洋甘菊（均为5名患者 [7.1%]），以及紫锥菊和人参（均为3名患者 [4.7%]）。
这项对使用市中心免费健康诊所的患者的调查显示CAM使用率很高，这可能会对患者的治疗结果产生重大影响。
