Baek Seung-Min, Choi Sun Mi, Seo Hyun-Ju, Kim Sul Gi, Jung Ji-Hoon, Lee Minhee, Park Jeong Hwan, Moon Su Jeong, Lee Sanghun
School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea.
Integr Med Res. 2013 Mar;2(1):25-31. doi: 10.1016/j.imr.2013.02.001. Epub 2013 Feb 9.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence and utilization pattern of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) administered by oneself or by non-institutional practitioners in a general population in South Korea.
Nationwide, face-to-face surveys were conducted from September 1, 2011 to October 5, 2011. We conveniently selected the participants by using a proportional allocation method according to age, gender, and region. The use of CAM in the last year, the patterns of use, sources of information, and counseling objects were investigated in addition to respondents' demographic characteristics.
Among the 1284 people approached, 915 respondents (71.3%) reported having had at least one CAM therapy during the past 12 months. Natural products were used the most frequently (58.8%). Unexpectedly, 82.6% out of 1740 therapies reported were self-administered CAM. Healthcare professionals were the source of information on CAM in only 5.6% of all instances of use, and only 17.7% of participants had consulted with doctors regarding CAM use.
Owing to the widespread use of CAM in South Korea, researchers should focus on the safety and potential effectiveness of CAM therapy when self-administered by users or by unauthorized CAM practitioners.
本研究旨在调查韩国普通人群中自我使用或由非机构从业者提供的补充和替代医学（CAM）的流行情况及使用模式。
2011年9月1日至2011年10月5日在全国范围内进行了面对面调查。我们根据年龄、性别和地区采用比例分配法方便地选择了参与者。除了调查对象的人口统计学特征外，还调查了过去一年中CAM的使用情况、使用模式、信息来源和咨询对象。
在接触的1284人中，915名受访者（71.3%）报告在过去12个月中至少接受过一种CAM疗法。天然产品使用最为频繁（58.8%）。出乎意料的是，在报告的1740种疗法中，82.6%是自我使用的CAM。在所有使用CAM的情况中，只有5.6%的信息来源是医疗保健专业人员，只有17.7%的参与者就使用CAM咨询过医生。
由于CAM在韩国的广泛使用，研究人员应关注用户或未经授权的CAM从业者自我使用CAM疗法时的安全性和潜在有效性。
