title: [Parents-interview on use of complementary and alternative medicine in pediatric oncology in Germany].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are no published data on the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in pediatric oncology in Germany.
  
  
  METHODS
  All parents of children, who where diagnosed a disease registered in the German Childhood Registry in 2001 were sent a questionnaire to evaluate possible CAM-use.
  
  
  RESULTS
  1 602 questionnaires were sent to the families, from whom 1 063 sent the questionnaire back to us. They reported a 35 % CAM-use-rate. The probability to use CAM was positively influenced by preexisting experience with CAM, higher social level and poor prognosis. 71 % of the users discussed the CAM-use with a physician. The reason for CAM-use seldom was missing trust in conventional medicine. 89 % of the CAM-users would recommend CAM-use to other parents in a comparable situation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The reported CAM-use rate of 35 % in pediatric oncology in Germany is as reported in the international literature for other European countries. Essential parts of CAM-advise and -prescription are done by non-professionals, so that there is a need to get competence in CAM in pediatric oncology in Germany.
authors.affiliation: Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus, Abteilung für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin, Herdecke. a.laengler@gemeinschaftskrankenhaus.de
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Längler
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Spix
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gottschling
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Graf
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kaatsch
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D010290:Parents; D011336:Probability; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires