Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013:2013:426360.
doi: 10.1155/2013/426360. Epub 2013 Feb 20.

Integrating traditional chinese medicine services in community health centers: insights into utilization patterns in the pearl river region of china

Vincent C H Chung  1 , Polly H X Ma, Harry H X Wang, Jia Ji Wang, Lau Chun Hong, Xiaolin Wei, Samuel Y S Wong, Jin Ling Tang, Sian M Griffiths
Affiliations

Integrating traditional chinese medicine services in community health centers: insights into utilization patterns in the pearl river region of china

Vincent C H Chung et al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013.

Abstract

In China's healthcare reform, community health centers (CHCs) are designed to take a pivotal role in providing primary care. Whilst about 20% of all outpatient care in China is delivered by the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) sector, hospitals, instead of CHCs, are major providers. Using current patterns of patient utilization this study aims to inform CHCs on how they may strengthen access to TCM services. Three thousand three hundred and sixty CHC patients from six cities within the urban Pearl Delta Region were enumerated using multistage cluster sampling. Fifty-two percent had visited herbalists within three months with a mean visit frequency of 1.50 times. Herbal treatments, which are cheaper than western medicines, were more popular amongst those who needed to pay out of pocket including the uninsured. Herbal medicines appeared to be an alternative for those who are underinsured. Acupuncturists and massage therapists were visited by smaller proportions, 6.58% and 5.98%, respectively, with a mean three-month visit of 0.27 and 0.26 times. Access was restricted by lack of social insurance coverage. Whilst increasing provision of TCM in CHCs might respond to patient demand, increasing insurance coverage for TCM needs to be evaluated using current evidence on safety and effectiveness.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Main reason for visiting in the latest consultation, stratified by treatment modalities.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Perceived effectiveness of treatment received in the latest consultation episode, stratified by modalities.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bhattacharyya O, Delu Y, Wong ST, Bowen C. Evolution of primary care in China 1997—2009. Health Policy. 2011;100(2):174–180. - PubMed
    1. Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China. Statistic of National Medical Service 2010. Beijing, China: Ministry of Health, China; 2010.
    1. Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China. Health Statistic Yearbook 2010. Beijing, China: Ministry of Health, China; 2010.
    1. Chai Y, Xu H, Wang W, et al. A survey of factors associated with the utilization of community health centers for managing hypertensive patients in Chengdu, China. PLoS ONE. 2011;6(7)e21718 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tang JL, Liu BY, Ma KW. Traditional Chinese medecine. The Lancet. 2008;372(9654):1938–1940. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources