Health care utilization among complementary and alternative medicine users in a large military cohort

2011

Health Care Use Among Military CAM Users

Sample size: 44287 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Martin R White, Isabel G Jacobson, Besa Smith, Timothy S Wells, Gary D Gackstetter, Edward J Boyko, Tyler C Smith

Primary Institution: Department of Defense Center for Deployment Health Research at the Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, CA, USA

Hypothesis

Are CAM users requiring more physician-based medical services than users of conventional medicine?

Conclusion

CAM users require more physician-based medical services than conventional medicine users, likely due to a higher number of health conditions and symptoms.

Supporting Evidence

39% of participants reported using at least one CAM therapy.
CAM users accounted for 45.1% of outpatient care and 44.8% of inpatient care.
Individuals with health conditions were 15% more likely to report CAM use.
The mean number of outpatient care days was higher for CAM users (7.0 days) compared to non-CAM users (5.9 days).
The unadjusted odds ratio for hospitalizations in CAM users was 1.29.

Takeaway

People in the military who use alternative medicine go to the doctor more often than those who only use regular medicine because they often have more health problems.

Methodology

The study analyzed inpatient and outpatient medical services over a 12-month period for 44,287 military participants, comparing CAM users to non-CAM users.