Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2003; 8: 163
The Tzu Chi Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine serves a unique population of adults that access clinical care integrating conventional and complementary medicine. The provision of evidence-based health information is a cornerstone of the Institute in order to help clients achieve a greater sense of self-responsibility for their health. The purpose of this study was to describe (1) the population of patients that uses our Information Resource Centre (IRC) and (2) resource utilisation.
We tracked clients’ resource utilisation for 1 year (2001). Since all clients participate in research to evaluate their health outcomes, we also compared demographics and health histories of IRC users with the general clinic population.
Results show that 20% (n = 182) of our clinic population (n = 920) uses the IRC. Users are representative of the clinic population as a whole. Seventy-four per cent of the users are female and the average age is 52 years. On average, users have 3.3 health conditions, the most common being cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, cardiovascular disease, pain and fatigue. High-use topic areas were mind–body, spirituality and cancer. Resource utilisation was not related to any health history data except that people with more stressors in their life tended to use the IRC more.
Clients seeking integrative care often present with multiple chronic health concerns and a desire to pursue specific CAM therapies. However, their main interests are in mind–body–spirit resources that support self care (e.g. meditation, yoga).
