Doctors' Use of Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine
Author Information
Author(s): Huang Nicole, Chou Yiing-Jenq, Chen Long-Shen, Lee Cheng-Hua, Wang Pen-Jen, Tsay Jen-Huoy
Primary Institution: National Yang Ming University
Hypothesis
How does the training background of physicians influence their utilization of Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine?
Conclusion
Doctors' training background significantly affects their use of Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine services.
Supporting Evidence
- Doctors trained in Western medicine had the highest usage of Western medicine services.
- Doctors trained in traditional Chinese medicine had the highest usage of traditional Chinese medicine services.
- Relatives of doctors tended to use more health care services than the doctors themselves.
Takeaway
Doctors tend to use the type of medicine they were trained in, and their families also follow this pattern.
Methodology
A retrospective population-based study using Taiwan's National Health Insurance data from 2004.
Potential Biases
Potential misclassification of individuals based on household registry data.
Limitations
The study relies on administrative data, which may lack details on decision-making processes and reasons for care choices.
Participant Demographics
The study included 31,122 Western medicine-trained doctors, 4,006 traditional Chinese medicine-trained doctors, and their relatives, along with a comparison group of high SES adults.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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