Prospective investigation of complementary and alternative medicine use and subsequent hospitalizations
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use has been estimated to be as high as 65% in some populations. However, there has been little objective research into the possible risks or benefits of unmanaged CAM th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2008-05-01
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| Series: | BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine |
| Online Access: | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/8/19 |
| _version_ | 1811284551322828800 |
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| author | Ryan Margaret AK Smith Besa Smith Tyler C |
| author_facet | Ryan Margaret AK Smith Besa Smith Tyler C |
| author_sort | Ryan Margaret AK |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use has been estimated to be as high as 65% in some populations. However, there has been little objective research into the possible risks or benefits of unmanaged CAM therapies.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this prospective study of active duty US Navy and Marine Corps personnel, the association between self-reported practitioner-assisted or self-administered CAM use and future hospitalization was investigated. Cox regression models were used to examine risk of hospitalization due to any cause over the follow-up period from date of questionnaire submission, until hospitalization, separation from the military, or end of observation period (June 30, 2004), whichever occurred first.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After adjusting for baseline health, baseline trust and satisfaction with conventional medicine, and demographic characteristics, those who reported self-administering two or more CAM therapies were significantly less likely to be hospitalized for any cause when compared with those who did not self-administer CAM (HR = 0.38; 95% CI = 0.17, 0.86). Use of multiple practitioner-assisted CAM was not associated with a significant decrease or increase of risk for future hospitalization (HR = 1.86; 95 percent confidence interval = 0.96-3.63).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>While there were limitations to these analyses, this investigation utilized an objective measure of health to investigate the potential health effects of CAM therapies and found a modest reduction in the overall risk of hospitalization associated with self-administration of two or more CAM therapies. In contrast, use of practitioner-assisted CAM was not associated with a protective effect.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T02:31:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-956d98a0d10f4c56beebbafb04aa0faf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6882 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T02:31:24Z |
| publishDate | 2008-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-956d98a0d10f4c56beebbafb04aa0faf2022-12-22T03:06:34ZengBMCBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine1472-68822008-05-01811910.1186/1472-6882-8-19Prospective investigation of complementary and alternative medicine use and subsequent hospitalizationsRyan Margaret AKSmith BesaSmith Tyler C<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use has been estimated to be as high as 65% in some populations. However, there has been little objective research into the possible risks or benefits of unmanaged CAM therapies.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this prospective study of active duty US Navy and Marine Corps personnel, the association between self-reported practitioner-assisted or self-administered CAM use and future hospitalization was investigated. Cox regression models were used to examine risk of hospitalization due to any cause over the follow-up period from date of questionnaire submission, until hospitalization, separation from the military, or end of observation period (June 30, 2004), whichever occurred first.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After adjusting for baseline health, baseline trust and satisfaction with conventional medicine, and demographic characteristics, those who reported self-administering two or more CAM therapies were significantly less likely to be hospitalized for any cause when compared with those who did not self-administer CAM (HR = 0.38; 95% CI = 0.17, 0.86). Use of multiple practitioner-assisted CAM was not associated with a significant decrease or increase of risk for future hospitalization (HR = 1.86; 95 percent confidence interval = 0.96-3.63).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>While there were limitations to these analyses, this investigation utilized an objective measure of health to investigate the potential health effects of CAM therapies and found a modest reduction in the overall risk of hospitalization associated with self-administration of two or more CAM therapies. In contrast, use of practitioner-assisted CAM was not associated with a protective effect.</p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/8/19 |
| spellingShingle | Ryan Margaret AK Smith Besa Smith Tyler C Prospective investigation of complementary and alternative medicine use and subsequent hospitalizations BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine |
| title | Prospective investigation of complementary and alternative medicine use and subsequent hospitalizations |
| title_full | Prospective investigation of complementary and alternative medicine use and subsequent hospitalizations |
| title_fullStr | Prospective investigation of complementary and alternative medicine use and subsequent hospitalizations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prospective investigation of complementary and alternative medicine use and subsequent hospitalizations |
| title_short | Prospective investigation of complementary and alternative medicine use and subsequent hospitalizations |
| title_sort | prospective investigation of complementary and alternative medicine use and subsequent hospitalizations |
| url | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/8/19 |
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