Abstract
BackgroundIn Korea, there are two types of medical doctors: one practises conventional medicine (hereafter called a physician), and the other practises traditional medicine (hereafter called a Korean medical doctor). This study aimed to compare the provision of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by these providers to CAM use per self-judgement in Korea.MethodsWe analysed 1668 Korean people via an internet survey with the Korean adopted version of the I-CAM-Q, namely, the International Questionnaire to measure use of CAM, to understand whether respondents used CAM based either on a prescription or advice from a physician or a Korean medical doctor or on self-judgement.ResultsIn the previous 12 months, the proportions of respondents who were treated by a physician, who were treated by a Korean medical doctor and who were not treated by anyone were 67.9, 20.7 and 14.2%, respectively. Among the respondents who received CAM based on a prescription or advice from a physician, traditional Korean medicine practices and dietary supplements were commonly used; only a small percentage used other CAM therapies. Respondents who received CAM based on a prescription or advice from a Korean medical doctor showed similar results. Acupuncture and moxibustion, traditional Korean medicines (decoction), or cupping were more commonly used. Korean traditional medicines as over-the-counter (OTC) drugs were more commonly used by respondents who received CAM therapy based on a prescription or advice from a physician than by those who received CAM therapy based on a prescription or advice from a Korean medical doctor. A total of 74% of the responders used any CAM by self-judgement in the previous 12 months.ConclusionsFor the use of CAM in Korea, in addition to the Korean traditional medical care provided by Korean medical doctors, general physicians advised people regarding Korean traditional medical care and dietary supplements.
Highlights
In Korea, there are two types of medical doctors: one practises conventional medicine, and the other practises traditional medicine
This paper describes the results of a survey in Korea on the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) that includes Korean traditional medicine
Development of draft questionnaire Using the original I-CAM-Q for a survey of CAM without adapting it to the environment of Korea makes the I-CAM-Q not suitable
Summary
In Korea, there are two types of medical doctors: one practises conventional medicine (hereafter called a physician), and the other practises traditional medicine (hereafter called a Korean medical doctor). This study aimed to compare the provision of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by these providers to CAM use per selfjudgement in Korea. Traditional medicine is classified as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in many countries. The reports on the utilization of CAM in South Korea (hereafter Korea) through 2011 have been reviewed by Kim SG et al [1]. Most studies either report on the utilization of CAM in patients with specific diseases (e.g., cancer) or provide an indirect report. According to a direct survey on the utilization of CAM throughout Korea (performed by Ock SM et al [12]) in 2006, 74.8% of Koreans had used some type of CAM therapy in the past 12 months
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