[[alternative]]Complementary and Alternative Medicine Used by Cancer Patients Receiving Outpatient Chemotherapy Treatments.

[[abstract]]研究目的：一、探討癌症門診化學治療病患使用另類療法的情形。二、分析癌症門診化學治療病患之人口學特性、疾病特性與使用另類療法的相關性。研究方法：本研究採橫斷式（cross-sectional）調查法，以立意取樣（purposive sampling）的抽樣方式，由北部某醫學中心門診化學治療單位，選取年滿18歲、意識清楚且確知癌症診斷並同意接受本研究調查者為研究對象，以自行設計之半結構式問卷，由研究者與研究對象採面對面的訪談方式進行問卷調查。本研究於2006年3月1日起至2006年5月31日止，共完成160名病患之問卷調查，有效樣本為160份。調查所得之資料，藉由SPSS統計套裝軟體，以描述性統計、皮爾森積差相關（Pearson correlation）、獨立樣本t檢定（t-test）、單因子變異數分析法（one way ANOVA）及多元線性迴歸分析法（multiple linear regression）進行統計分析。研究結果：本研究160名研究對象中，使用另類療法者有157名，比例高達98.12%。病患使用另類療法的數量，平均為2.25種，種類則以「基礎生物療法」（91.08%）及「身心調和法」（66.88%）分居第一、二名。使用另類療法的病患中，有15.29%的病患其食用的產品（葡萄籽及人參），可能會與化學治療藥物產生交互作用。「提升免疫力」（55.41%）是病患使用另類療法的主要動機，而「親朋好友」（87.26%）則是病患另類療法的主要訊息來源。近七成（66.24%）的病患，未告知醫師正在使用另類療法，而未告知醫師的主要原因，則以「我認為沒有必要」（78.85%）居冠。但在研究對象中，有近四成（36.31%）的病患卻表示，期待醫師或護理人員提供另類療法的相關訊息。此外，病患的年齡、性別與宗教信仰，與其使用另類療法的數量有統計學上顯著相關（p<0.05）。病患年齡越輕者（r=-0.213, p=0.008<0.01），其使用另類療法的數量越多；女性病患（t=2.946, p=0.004<0.01）使用另類療法的數量高於男性；以佛教或道教為宗教信仰者（F=4.204, p=0.007<0.01），其使用另類療法的數量高於無宗教信仰者。病患的教育程度與疾病特性，與其使用另類療法的數量無統計學上顯著相關。研究結論：癌症門診化學治療病患使用另類療法的比例相當高，且大部份的病患，都希望從醫療人員得到另類療法的資訊。[[abstract]]Purpose: The purposes of this study were (1) to assess the prevalence of the use of complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM) by cancer patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy and (2) to analyze the demographic and disease characteristics of these CAM users.Method: This study was a cross-sectional survey by purposive sampling from the outpatient chemotherapy department of a medical center in northern Taiwan. The subjects were at least 18 years of age, mentally alert and aware of their diagnosis of cancer. We conducted a face-to-face interview survey, using a semi-structured questionnaire, between March 1 2006 and May 31 2006. One hundred sixty patients participated in the study, and all 160 answers were valid and usable. The data analyses were carried out using SPSS. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, t-test, one way ANOVA and multiple linear regression were used.Results: Of the 160 participants, 157 (98.12%) reported CAM usage. The average number of CAM therapies used by these patients was 2.25. The most common types of CAM used were “Biologically Based Therapies” (91.08%) and “Mind-Body Interventions” (66.88%). Fifteen percent (15.29%) of the patients took grape seed and Ginseng, which might affect the efficacy of some chemotherapy regimens. The most common reason for using CAM was to boost their immune system (55.41%). Most patients (87.26%) stated that the major source of information about CAM therapies was their family members and friends. Approximately two third of patients (66.24%) had never informed their physicians of their CAM use. The main reason (78.85%) cited was “didn’t think it’s necessary”. However, over one-third of the patients (36.31%) indicated a desire for more information about CAM therapies from their physicians or nurses. Furthermore, the age, sex and religion of the patients were strongly associated with the number of CAM used (p<0.05). Younger (p=0.008<0.01), female (p=0.004<0.01), and Taoist and Buddhist patients (p=0.007