Seung-Min Baek

Prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine use in a community-based population in South Korea: A systematic review

OBJECTIVES To examine the prevalence of the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the Republic of Korea and identify the factors responsible for variations in the reported prevalence, the socio-demographic factors associated with CAM use, and the relationship between CAM use and study methodological quality. DESIGN Two international and 6 representative Korean medical databases were searched to identify cross-sectional studies that had surveyed the general Korean population in community settings to determine prevalence of CAM use. Data collection and assessment of the methodological quality of the studies were conducted by 3 independent reviewers. RESULTS The prevalence of CAM use reported by the 11 studies that met the selection criteria ranged from 29% to 83%. Inclusion of Korean medicine within the definition of CAM was not found to be a significant factor in the heterogeneity, but several factors that may have contributed to it, namely, inconsistency in CAM taxonomies, recall bias, use of unrepresentative sampling strategies, and lack of pilot testing, were identified. Higher CAM use was found to be associated with female sex, high level of education, and advanced age. CONCLUSIONS The inclusion of Korean medicine within the definition of CAM does not explain the heterogeneity in the reported prevalence of CAM use among the South Korean population. A standard questionnaire appropriate for the Korean context should be developed to define and classify the common CAM modalities and control for confounding factors.

Use of complementary and alternative medicine by self- or non-institutional therapists in South Korea: a community-based survey

Background The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence and utilization pattern of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) administered by oneself or by non-institutional practitioners in a general population in South Korea. Methods Nationwide, face-to-face surveys were conducted from September 1, 2011 to October 5, 2011. We conveniently selected the participants by using a proportional allocation method according to age, gender, and region. The use of CAM in the last year, the patterns of use, sources of information, and counseling objects were investigated in addition to respondents’ demographic characteristics. Results Among the 1284 people approached, 915 respondents (71.3%) reported having had at least one CAM therapy during the past 12 months. Natural products were used the most frequently (58.8%). Unexpectedly, 82.6% out of 1740 therapies reported were self-administered CAM. Healthcare professionals were the source of information on CAM in only 5.6% of all instances of use, and only 17.7% of participants had consulted with doctors regarding CAM use. Conclusions Owing to the widespread use of CAM in South Korea, researchers should focus on the safety and potential effectiveness of CAM therapy when self-administered by users or by unauthorized CAM practitioners.

Self-care use patterns in the UK, US, Australia, and Japan: a multinational web-based survey

Background The trend toward patient- or consumer-centered healthcare has been accelerated by advances in technology, consumer empowerment, and a shift from infectious to chronic diseases. The purpose of this study was to examine the growing self-care market by analyzing self-care patterns. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional, web-based survey involving adults from nine major cities in the UK, the USA, Australia, and Japan. This study examined the extent and frequency of self-care, self-care expenditure, sources of self-care information, and reasons for self-care in each country. Results The results showed that the prevalence of self-care was highest in Japan (54.9%), followed by the UK (43.1%), the USA (42.5%), and Australia (40.4%). The primary reason for practicing self-care was “to manage my healthcare myself” (cited by 45.7%, 59.5%, 49.2%, and 4.1% of participants in Australia, Japan, the UK, and the USA, respectively). Significant linear associations were observed between age and the prevalence of self-care in all countries (p < 0.05), indicating that self-care prevalence decreased with age in the UK, the USA, and Australia, and increased with age in Japan. The frequency with which self-care was practiced was positively correlated with age in the USA (p < 0.05), Australia (p < 0.01), and Japan (p < 0.05). In addition to acquaintances, internet search engines and information obtained from pharmacies were considered reliable and widely used sources of self-care information. Conclusion When developing self-care products or services, healthcare providers and policymakers should consider self-care patterns.

Corrigendum to “Use of complementary and alternative medicine by self- or non-institutional therapists in South Korea: a community-based survey” [Integr. Med. Res. 2(1) (2013), 25–31]

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.imr.2013.02.001.].

Traditional Korean Medicine Doctors’ Awareness and Utilization of Case Reports

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to assess traditional Korean medicine (TKM) doctors’ awareness and utilization of case reports based on the opinion that careful observation of cases sometimes provides important information on clinical trials, especially in the field of traditional medicine research. Methods: A questionnaire study was conducted among TKM doctors who participated in the annual continuous maintenance education (CME) held in five regions of the Republic of Korea. Results: Almost 60% of the respondents had read case reports published in medical journals, and 67% had openly shared their clinical cases with their colleagues. Of the respondents, 18.6% had been educated on reporting cases, and only 16% had the experience of reporting cases on their own. However, 32.6% of the respondents had intentions to report cases in the future. The results showed significant differences between general physicians who hold a license but have no hospital training on case reports and board-certified TKM doctors who have experienced such training. Conclusions: A majority of TKM doctors have read case reports but have little experience with proper training. This research found that awareness of case reports is rising in hospital training. Thus, the objective of case report education for TKM doctors who undergo hospital training should be to encourage them to write more whereas for doctors who do not experience hospital training, the objective should be to exposing them more to case reports to heighten their awareness.