Coping strategies and the request for a consultation on complementary and alternative medicine -- a cross-sectional survey of patients in a psychosomatic and three medical departments of a german university hospital.
OBJECTIVE
To identify factors, predicting which patients of a large German university hospital request for a consultation on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).


METHODS
350 patients of 3 medical and a psychosomatic department of the University Hospital Freiburg were consecutively surveyed with respect to their coping strategies, health locus of control, anxiety, depression, and the request for a consultation on CAM. Predicting factors were identified via logistic regression models.


RESULTS
The request for a CAM consultation was primarily determined by an active coping strategy (odds ratio 1.66, 95% confidence interval 1.27-2.17, p = 0.0002) and a low Karnofsky index (odds ratio 0.79, 95% confidence interval 0.62-0.99, p = 0.0417). Anxiety, depression or internal health locus of control correlated with each other but could not be proved as independent factors for the request for a CAM consultation.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients of a university hospital with an active disease coping have a need for information about CAM.
Huber
R
R
Uni-Zentrum Naturheilkunde, Universitätsklinik Freiburg i. Br., Germany. rhuber@med1.ukl.uni-freiburg.de
Lüdtke
R
R
Beiser
I
I
Koch
D
D
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003863:Depression; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D012017:Referral and Consultation