Boisset M, Fitzcharles M A
Rheumatic Disease Unit, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
J Rheumatol. 1994 Jan;21(1):148-52.
To assess the prevalence, extent of use, and cost of alternative medicine by patients attending a rheumatology clinic.
Two hundred and thirty-five unselected consecutive patients attending a rheumatology clinic were evaluated by questionnaire to record their current use of alternative medicine practices.
Sixty-six percent of patients had used alternative medicine interventions in the preceding 12 months; 54% used over the counter products, 39% spiritual aids (including prayer, relaxation, meditation), and 13% each had visited alternative practitioners or used dietary interventions. Patients in the upper middle income group and French speaking patients used more bought products, but no other differences were observed when the groups were analyzed according to level of education, income or cultural background. The current annual cost for the patients of alternative medical therapies was $100.
Our results demonstrate a moderate use of alternative medicine by rheumatology patients, mostly inexpensive products and no cost spiritual aids. Universal health care may have a negative impact on the extent of use of more costly practices.
评估就诊于风湿病门诊的患者使用替代医学的患病率、使用程度及花费。
通过问卷调查对连续就诊于风湿病门诊的235例未经挑选的患者进行评估，以记录他们目前使用替代医学疗法的情况。
66%的患者在过去12个月内使用过替代医学干预措施；54%使用非处方产品，39%使用精神辅助手段（包括祈祷、放松、冥想），各有13%的患者看过替代医学从业者或使用过饮食干预措施。中高收入组患者及说法语的患者使用购买的产品更多，但根据教育水平、收入或文化背景对各分组进行分析时，未观察到其他差异。患者目前每年在替代医学疗法上的花费为100美元。
我们的结果表明，风湿病患者对替代医学的使用程度中等，主要是使用价格低廉的产品及免费的精神辅助手段。全民医保可能会对使用成本更高的疗法的程度产生负面影响。
