Factors related to the choice between traditional Chinese medicine and modern Western medicine among patients with two-method treatment.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this paper is to investigate the different factors influencing patients' choice of traditional Chinese medicine or modern western medicine, applying Andersen's health-service utilization model to analyze the basic demographic, enabling and need factors related to the choice of clinics by patients who use two-method treatment (i.e. both Chinese medicine and western medicine).


METHODS
Systemic sampling was done and a structured questionnaire survey was carried out among patients from the outpatient departments of 13 teaching hospitals accepting reimbursement by Labor Medical Insurance in Taiwan.


RESULTS
The total number of valid respondents was 549. Of them 181 (33%) were visiting western medicine clinics and 368 (67%) visiting Chinese medicine clinics. There were 279 (51%) males and 270 (49%) females, whose age distribution was in the range from 16 to 87 years old, with a mean of 42.7 years. Under univariate analysis, the significant variables (p < 0.05) related to visiting the two types of clinics were: applicability of medical insurance, bed rest from discomfort in recent years, the amount of discomfort from this disease episode, respiratory disease, circulatory disease, endocrine or metabolic disease, and sense organ and skin disorders. By logistic regression analysis, the significant variables (p < 0.05) related to visiting the two types of clinics were religion, bed rest during the past year, discomfort associated with the episode, respiratory disease, and endocrine or metabolic diseases.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with folk-religion beliefs or respiratory diseases favored Chinese medicine; patients with illness requiring bed rest in the past year, who experienced discomfort in this episode, or who suffered from endocrine or metabolic diseases were likely to visit western medicine clinics.
Kang
J T
JT
Community Medicine Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Chen
C F
CF
Chou
P
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care