Behaviors of Providers of Traditional Korean Medicine Therapy and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapy for the Treatment of Cancer Patients
Objectives: In Korea, cancer is one of the most important causes of death. Cancer patients have sought alternative methods, like complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) together with Western medicine, to treat cancer. Also, there are many kinds of providers of CAM therapy, including providers o...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Korean Pharmacopuncture Institute
2015-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Pharmacopuncture |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.3831/KPI.2015.18.003 |
| _version_ | 1828526295959470080 |
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| author | Jun-Sang Yu Chun-Bae Kim Ki-Kyong Kim Ji-Eun Lee Min-Young Kim |
| author_facet | Jun-Sang Yu Chun-Bae Kim Ki-Kyong Kim Ji-Eun Lee Min-Young Kim |
| author_sort | Jun-Sang Yu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives: In Korea, cancer is one of the most important causes of death. Cancer patients have sought alternative methods, like complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) together with Western medicine, to treat cancer. Also, there are many kinds of providers of CAM therapy, including providers of Korean oriental medicine therapy. The purpose of this study is to identify the behaviors of Korean oriental medicine therapy and CAM therapy providers who treat cancer patients and to provide background knowledge for establishing a new policy with the management and quality control of CAM.
Methods: Structured and well organized questionnaires were made, and 350 persons were surveyed concerning the providers of CAM or Korean oriental medicine. The questionnaires were collected and analyzed.
Results: The questionnaires (182) were collected. The questionnaires identified a total of 73 known providers,
such as medicinal professionals or other providers of CAM suppliers, 35.6% of whom had had experience with treating cancer patients (52.6% vs. 29.6%). The treatment methods were a little different: alternative therapy and nutritional therapy being preferred by medicinal professionals and mind body modulation therapy and alternative therapy being preferred by other CAM providers. Four patients (7.4%) experienced side effects, and 6 patients (12.5%) experienced legal problems. As the method for managing the therapy, CAM providers, medicinal professionals, and other CAM providers had different viewpoints. For example, some CAM providers stated that both legislation and an official education on CAM or a national examination were needed as a first step to establish the provider’s qualifications and that as a second step, a license test was needed for quality control. To the contrary, medicinal professionals stated that a license test was needed before legislation.
Conclusion: Adequate management and quality control of CAM providers is thought to involve both education and legislation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T21:20:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fcb5bbb1f03b4cad91c8b1e3b9ce66d1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2093-6966 2234-6856 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T21:20:56Z |
| publishDate | 2015-03-01 |
| publisher | Korean Pharmacopuncture Institute |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Pharmacopuncture |
| spelling | doaj.art-fcb5bbb1f03b4cad91c8b1e3b9ce66d12022-12-22T00:50:28ZengKorean Pharmacopuncture InstituteJournal of Pharmacopuncture2093-69662234-68562015-03-01181273510.3831/KPI.2015.18.003Behaviors of Providers of Traditional Korean Medicine Therapy and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapy for the Treatment of Cancer PatientsJun-Sang Yu0Chun-Bae Kim1Ki-Kyong Kim2Ji-Eun Lee3Min-Young Kim4Department of Sasang Constitutional Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Sangji University, Wonju, KoreaInstitute for Poverty Alleviation and International Development, Yonsei University, Wonju, KoreaDepartment of Nursing, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, KoreaKorea National Rehabilitation Research Institute, Seoul, KoreaArmed Forces Medical Research Institute, Daejeon, KoreaObjectives: In Korea, cancer is one of the most important causes of death. Cancer patients have sought alternative methods, like complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) together with Western medicine, to treat cancer. Also, there are many kinds of providers of CAM therapy, including providers of Korean oriental medicine therapy. The purpose of this study is to identify the behaviors of Korean oriental medicine therapy and CAM therapy providers who treat cancer patients and to provide background knowledge for establishing a new policy with the management and quality control of CAM. Methods: Structured and well organized questionnaires were made, and 350 persons were surveyed concerning the providers of CAM or Korean oriental medicine. The questionnaires were collected and analyzed. Results: The questionnaires (182) were collected. The questionnaires identified a total of 73 known providers, such as medicinal professionals or other providers of CAM suppliers, 35.6% of whom had had experience with treating cancer patients (52.6% vs. 29.6%). The treatment methods were a little different: alternative therapy and nutritional therapy being preferred by medicinal professionals and mind body modulation therapy and alternative therapy being preferred by other CAM providers. Four patients (7.4%) experienced side effects, and 6 patients (12.5%) experienced legal problems. As the method for managing the therapy, CAM providers, medicinal professionals, and other CAM providers had different viewpoints. For example, some CAM providers stated that both legislation and an official education on CAM or a national examination were needed as a first step to establish the provider’s qualifications and that as a second step, a license test was needed for quality control. To the contrary, medicinal professionals stated that a license test was needed before legislation. Conclusion: Adequate management and quality control of CAM providers is thought to involve both education and legislation.http://dx.doi.org/10.3831/KPI.2015.18.003alternative therapycancercomplementary and alternative medicineoriental medicinesurveytraditional Korean medicine |
| spellingShingle | Jun-Sang Yu Chun-Bae Kim Ki-Kyong Kim Ji-Eun Lee Min-Young Kim Behaviors of Providers of Traditional Korean Medicine Therapy and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapy for the Treatment of Cancer Patients Journal of Pharmacopuncture alternative therapy cancer complementary and alternative medicine oriental medicine survey traditional Korean medicine |
| title | Behaviors of Providers of Traditional Korean Medicine Therapy and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapy for the Treatment of Cancer Patients |
| title_full | Behaviors of Providers of Traditional Korean Medicine Therapy and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapy for the Treatment of Cancer Patients |
| title_fullStr | Behaviors of Providers of Traditional Korean Medicine Therapy and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapy for the Treatment of Cancer Patients |
| title_full_unstemmed | Behaviors of Providers of Traditional Korean Medicine Therapy and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapy for the Treatment of Cancer Patients |
| title_short | Behaviors of Providers of Traditional Korean Medicine Therapy and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapy for the Treatment of Cancer Patients |
| title_sort | behaviors of providers of traditional korean medicine therapy and complementary and alternative medicine therapy for the treatment of cancer patients |
| topic | alternative therapy cancer complementary and alternative medicine oriental medicine survey traditional Korean medicine |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.3831/KPI.2015.18.003 |
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