Patterns of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Cancer Patients
Author Information
Author(s): Hök Johanna, Tishelman Carol, Ploner Alexander, Forss Anette, Falkenberg Torkel
Primary Institution: Karolinska Institutet
Hypothesis
What are the patterns of CAM use among individuals with reported exceptional experiences after a cancer diagnosis?
Conclusion
The study found considerable variability in the patterns of CAM use among cancer patients, highlighting discrepancies between user and professional conceptualizations of CAM.
Supporting Evidence
- Participants reported using a total of 274 specific CAM therapies.
- Most participants used multiple CAM therapies during their cancer treatment.
- The study identified seven categories of CAM therapies based on user descriptions.
Takeaway
This study looked at how cancer patients use different types of alternative medicine, finding that people have very different experiences and preferences.
Methodology
The study used unstructured interviews and analyzed the data through manifest content analysis and principal component analysis.
Potential Biases
The self-selected nature of participants may introduce bias in the findings.
Limitations
The study's findings may not be generalizable to all CAM users due to the specific nature of the participant group.
Participant Demographics
Participants ranged in age from 36 to 85 years, with a majority being women and many reporting breast or gynecologic tumors.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website