Traditional and complementary medicine use among cancer patients in Nepal: a cross-sectional surveyopen access
- Authors
- Choi, Soo Jeung; Kunwor, Sangita Karki; Im, Hyea Bin; Hwang, Jung Hye; Choi, Dain; Han, Dongwoon
- Issue Date
- Mar-2022
- Publisher
- BMC
- Keywords
- Cancer; Traditional and complementary medicine; Nepal
- Citation
- BMC COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE AND THERAPIES, v.22, no.1, pp.1 - 11
- Indexed
- SCIE
SCOPUS
- Journal Title
- BMC COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE AND THERAPIES
- Volume
- 22
- Number
- 1
- Start Page
- 1
- End Page
- 11
- URI
- https://scholarworks.bwise.kr/hanyang/handle/2021.sw.hanyang/139274
- DOI
- 10.1186/s12906-022-03555-8
- Abstract
- Background
Traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) is commonly used in South Asian countries such as Nepal. There are various causes and contributing factors for patients with cancer to consider using T&CM. However, little is known about the use of T&CM among the cancer population in this region.
Methods
The study followed a cross-sectional design using a structured survey questionnaire. Survey participants were recruited from two National hospitals in Kathmandu, Nepal. The survey instrument comprised 30 questions, including variables on demographics, use of T&CM, and perceived level of disease severity, and cancer treatment. Chi-square test and logistic regression were used for data analysis using SPSS ver. 23.0.
Results
Of 908 participants, 31.6% used one or more modalities of T&CM after a cancer diagnosis. The most commonly used T&CM was Ayurveda (46.5%), followed by yoga (32.4%). About 46% of T&CM users discussed their use with their doctors. The main source of information on T&CM was their family members and relatives (55.7%). Cancer type (head and neck cancer OR: 2.30, CI: 1.23–4.29; abdominal cancer OR: 2.69, CI: 1.47–4.95; lung cancer OR: 5.88, CI: 2.69–12.89), cancer stage (Stage I OR: 1.92¸CI: 1.14–3.25; Stage II OR: 1.76, CI: 1.06–2.94), and the patients’ self-rated disease severity (high perceived severity OR: 1.50, CI: 1.05–2.16) were strong predictors of T&CM use.
Conclusion
This study underlined that despite the widespread use of T&CM among cancer patients in Nepal, most patients obtained information on T&CM from informal sources and did not disclose their use to physicians. To ensure the safe use of T&CM modalities, physicians should integrate questions on T&CM use into routine patient assessments in order to facilitate active communication and improve the quality of care.
- Files in This Item
-
- Appears in
Collections - 서울 의과대학 > 서울 예방의학교실 > 1. Journal Articles
- 서울 의과대학 > 서울 산부인과학교실 > 1. Journal Articles
![qrcode](https://api.qrserver.com/v1/create-qr-code/?size=55x55&data=https://scholarworks.bwise.kr/hanyang/handle/2021.sw.hanyang/139274)
Items in ScholarWorks are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.