Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia.
Complement Med Res. 2022;29(4):297-308. doi: 10.1159/000524330. Epub 2022 Mar 29.
Interest in various forms of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) (e.g., naturopathy, homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, osteopathy, and chiropractic) is continuing to grow throughout Europe. Very little is known as to whether the prevalence and patterns of CAM usage are another cross-cutting phenomenon, dividing Europe, or whether they indicate homogenous healthcare settings throughout the continent. By examining data from the general population, the main objective of the study is to conduct a cross-country comparison of medical pluralism in Eastern and Western European countries.
The cross-country comparison was conducted using data obtained through the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP). Data addressing healthcare issues were last collected for the ISSP in 2011. By analysing existing similarities and/or differences in the prevalence of sociodemographic and socioeconomic determinants, which could encourage visits to complementary and alternative practitioners, data from 21 European societies only were included. In addition, the aim was to investigate whether individuals' scarcity of trust in physicians, as well as a lack of confidence in healthcare systems, may explain visits to CAM practitioners across Europe.
While in Eastern countries, a total of 531 (5.5%) respondents reported a visit to/by a CAM healthcare practitioner during the preceding 12 months, in Western Europe, a visit to/by a CAM healthcare practitioner was reported by 11.6% of individuals. In Western Europe, the use of CAM is most prevalent among younger generations of women, those of a lower socioeconomic position and/or with a low level of trust in conventional doctors. In Eastern Europe, CAM practitioners are mainly visited by older generations, city dwellers of a higher socioeconomic position and with a relatively high level of trust in physicians.
After collating data from 21 societies, the study concludes that more than three decades after the collapse of the socialist experiment in Eastern Europe, there is evidence that the European continent remains divided in relation to the alternative healthcare sector. The field of non-conventional healthcare represents an indicator supporting the existence of a dividing line between Eastern and Western Europe.
在整个欧洲，人们对各种形式的补充和替代医学（CAM）（例如顺势疗法、中药、整骨疗法和脊骨神经医学）的兴趣持续增长。人们知之甚少的是，CAM 的使用频率和模式是否是另一个贯穿欧洲的交叉现象，将欧洲一分为二，还是它们表明整个欧洲大陆的医疗保健环境具有同质性。通过检查来自普通人群的数据，该研究的主要目的是对东欧和西欧国家的医疗多元化进行跨国比较。
通过国际社会调查方案（ISSP）获取的数据进行跨国比较。ISSP 最后一次收集有关医疗保健问题的数据是在 2011 年。通过分析鼓励访问补充和替代从业者的社会人口和社会经济决定因素的现有相似性和/或差异，仅包括来自 21 个欧洲社会的数据。此外，研究的目的是调查对医生的信任度不足以及对医疗保健系统的信心不足是否可以解释欧洲各地对 CAM 从业者的访问。
在东欧国家，共有 531 名（5.5%）受访者报告在过去 12 个月内曾访问/接受过 CAM 医疗从业者的治疗，而在西欧，有 11.6%的人曾访问/接受过 CAM 医疗从业者的治疗。在西欧，CAM 的使用最为普遍的是年轻一代的女性、社会经济地位较低的人和/或对传统医生信任度较低的人。在东欧，CAM 从业者主要由年龄较大的人、城市居民和对医生的信任度相对较高的人访问。
在整理了来自 21 个社会的数据后，该研究得出结论，东欧社会主义实验崩溃三十多年后，有证据表明欧洲大陆在替代医疗领域仍然存在分歧。非常规医疗领域是支持东欧和西欧之间存在分界线的一个指标。
