Views on traditional Chinese medicine amongst Chinese population: a systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies.
BACKGROUND
Health-care professionals worldwide have started to appreciate patients' perspectives on the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) particularly given its popularity. However, cultural perspectives may vary and it may not be possible to apply research findings on the use of CAM from the west to the east.


OBJECTIVE
This systematic review aims to synthesize usage patterns of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) amongst Chinese populations in different parts of the world and explore potential geographical variations.


METHODS
Six international and four Chinese databases were searched, and manual searches of relevant monographs and government publications were carried out.


METHODS
Quantitative, qualitative or mixed-method research that aimed to investigate Chinese patients' perception of, and perspectives on, TCM was included.


METHODS
For each study included, texts under the headings of 'results' or 'findings' were extracted and subjected to analysis. A thematic synthesis approach was adopted for synthesizing qualitative and quantitative studies.


RESULTS
Amongst the 28 studies included, twenty were quantitative surveys, six were qualitative studies and two were mixed-method studies. The overall methodological quality was mediocre. Data synthesis suggested that patients from all regions share a common cultural affinity to TCM and consider it to be an effective complement to western medicine (WM) for treating chronic or serious diseases. However, heterogeneous views on (i) disclosing TCM use to WM doctors and (ii) the potential harm of herbs emerged across different study locations.


CONCLUSIONS
Future research should explore how variation in health systems may influence patients' perception of CAM in different countries.
School of Public Health and Primary Care, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Vincent C H
VC
Chung
Polly H X
PH
Ma
Chun Hong
CH
Lau
Samuel Y S
SY
Wong
Eng Kiong
EK
Yeoh
Sian M
SM
Griffiths
D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research