Abstract
BackgroundThe use of Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) Methods is increasing and therefore gaining importance also in conventional western medicine. Identifying personal traits to make out by whom and why CAM is used can help physicians in successful physician–patient interaction, and thus improve patient’s compliance and trust towards their physician.Patients and methodsA questionnaire was passed on to cancer patients in an ambulant clinical and a rehabilitation setting. Multiple regression analyses were run to examine possible predictors for CAM use, such as gender, age, level of education, spirituality, attentiveness, self-efficacy and resilience. To differentiate within CAM users, two dependent variables were created: “holistic and mind–body methods”, such as Yoga, meditation or Homeopathy and “material based methods”, such as food supplements or vitamins.ResultsHigher level of education, younger age and religion-independent attentiveness were significant predictors for the use of “material based methods”. Female gender, higher education and religious spirituality were detected as significant predictors for “holistic and mind–body methods”.ConclusionThis study is among the first to take a more detailed look at how numerous personal traits are associated with the use of CAM methods and differentiate between the applied methods. Our finding should be considered by conventional health care providers and could be integrated into a holistic assessment, to offer information about complementary medicine and meeting patients’ needs.
Highlights
Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM)—definition and usageComplementary medicine refers to a heterogeneous group of therapies that fall traditionally beyond the range of conventional medicine, but can be used alongside conventional treatment
The most common practice used by the study population was food supplements. 31.8% of the CAM users stated to have taken nutritional supplements, which we categorized as biological-based methods
This study is among the first to take a more detailed look at how numerous personal traits relate with the use of CAM methods and differentiate between the applied methods
Summary
CAM—definition and usageComplementary medicine refers to a heterogeneous group of therapies that fall traditionally beyond the range of conventional medicine, but can be used alongside conventional treatment. In severe diseases that require aggressive therapies, such as chemotherapy in cancer treatment, complementary medicine can support the patients’ well-being and compliance. A study in 2011 showed that 66.5% of cancer survivors state to have used complementary medicine alongside the conventional treatment of their disease (Mao et al 2011). Meta-analyses have shown that CAM use has been increasing in the last decades (Frass et al 2012). This shows the growing importance of integrating CAM into traditional health care structures. The use of Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) Methods is increasing and gaining importance in conventional western medicine. Results Higher level of education, younger age and religion-independent attentiveness were significant predictors for the use of “material based methods”. Our finding should be considered by conventional health care providers and could be integrated into a holistic assessment, to offer information about complementary medicine and meeting patients’ needs
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