Patients' interactions with physicians and complementary and alternative medicine practitioners: older women with breast cancer and self-managed health care.
Older patients are more likely than ever to be under the care of both physicians and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners, yet there is little research on older patients' experience of these different relationships. This article addresses older breast cancer patients' seeking of concurrent care and examines patients' understandings of interactions with physicians and CAM practitioners. This is a qualitative study of a random, population-based sample of 44 older women with breast cancer who are simultaneously under the care of at least 1 physician and 1 CAM practitioner.
Adler
Shelley R
SR
Department of Family and Community Medicine & Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA. adlersh@ocim.ucsf.edu
Wrubel
Judith
J
Hughes
Ellen
E
Beinfield
Harriet
H
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D002140:California; D003142:Communication; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods