Center of Study and Research in Health/Centro de Estudos e Investigação em Saúde (CEISUC), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
Int J Health Policy Manag. 2015 Mar 3;4(4):235-42. doi: 10.15171/ijhpm.2015.45. eCollection 2015 Apr.
Portugal has a strong tradition of conventional western healthcare. So it provides a natural case study for the relationship between Complementary/Alternative Medicine (CAM) and Western Medicine (WM). This work aims to test the relationship between CAM and WM users in the diagnosis and treatment stages and to estimate the determinants of CAM choice.
The forth Portuguese National Health Survey is employed to estimate two single probit models and obtain the correlation between the consumption of CAM and WM medicines in the diagnosis and treatment stages.
Firstly, both in the diagnosis and the treatment stage, CAM and WM are seen to be complementary choices for individuals. Secondly, self-medication also shows complementarity with the choice of CAM treatment. Thirdly, education has a non-linear relationship with the choice of CAM. Finally, working status, age, smoking and chronic disease are determinant factors in the decision to use CAM.
The results of this work are relevant to health policy-makers and for insurance companies. Patients need freedom of choice and, for the sake of safety and efficacy of treatment, WM and CAM healthcare ought to be provided in a joint and integrated health system.
葡萄牙拥有传统的西医医疗传统。因此，它为补充/替代医学（CAM）与西医（WM）之间的关系提供了一个自然的案例研究。这项工作旨在检验在诊断和治疗阶段 CAM 和 WM 用户之间的关系，并估计 CAM 选择的决定因素。
采用第四次葡萄牙全国健康调查来估计两个单一的 Probit 模型，并获得 CAM 和 WM 药物在诊断和治疗阶段的消费之间的相关性。
首先，在诊断和治疗阶段，CAM 和 WM 都被视为个人的互补选择。其次，自我药疗也显示出与 CAM 治疗选择的互补性。第三，教育与 CAM 的选择呈非线性关系。最后，工作状态、年龄、吸烟和慢性病是选择 CAM 的决定因素。
这项工作的结果与卫生政策制定者和保险公司有关。患者需要自由选择，为了治疗的安全性和疗效，WM 和 CAM 医疗保健应该在一个联合和综合的卫生系统中提供。
