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. 2018 Aug 13;18(1):238.
doi: 10.1186/s12906-018-2294-6.

An assessment of the use of complementary and alternative medicine by Korean people using an adapted version of the standardized international questionnaire (I-CAM-QK): a cross-sectional study of an internet survey

Ju Ah Lee  1 , Yui Sasaki  2 , Ichiro Arai  3 , Ho-Yeon Go  4 , Sunju Park  5 , Keiko Yukawa  6 , Yun Kung Nam  3 , Seong-Gyu Ko  2 , Yoshiharu Motoo  7 , Kiichiro Tsutani  8 , Myeong Soo Lee  9
Affiliations

An assessment of the use of complementary and alternative medicine by Korean people using an adapted version of the standardized international questionnaire (I-CAM-QK): a cross-sectional study of an internet survey

Ju Ah Lee et al. BMC Complement Altern Med. .

Abstract

Background: In Korea, there are two types of medical doctors: one practises conventional medicine (hereafter called a physician), and the other practises traditional medicine (hereafter called a Korean medical doctor). This study aimed to compare the provision of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by these providers to CAM use per self-judgement in Korea.

Methods: We analysed 1668 Korean people via an internet survey with the Korean adopted version of the I-CAM-Q, namely, the International Questionnaire to measure use of CAM, to understand whether respondents used CAM based either on a prescription or advice from a physician or a Korean medical doctor or on self-judgement.

Results: In the previous 12 months, the proportions of respondents who were treated by a physician, who were treated by a Korean medical doctor and who were not treated by anyone were 67.9, 20.7 and 14.2%, respectively. Among the respondents who received CAM based on a prescription or advice from a physician, traditional Korean medicine practices and dietary supplements were commonly used; only a small percentage used other CAM therapies. Respondents who received CAM based on a prescription or advice from a Korean medical doctor showed similar results. Acupuncture and moxibustion, traditional Korean medicines (decoction), or cupping were more commonly used. Korean traditional medicines as over-the-counter (OTC) drugs were more commonly used by respondents who received CAM therapy based on a prescription or advice from a physician than by those who received CAM therapy based on a prescription or advice from a Korean medical doctor. A total of 74% of the responders used any CAM by self-judgement in the previous 12 months.

Conclusions: For the use of CAM in Korea, in addition to the Korean traditional medical care provided by Korean medical doctors, general physicians advised people regarding Korean traditional medical care and dietary supplements.

Keywords: Complementary and alternative medicine; I-CAM-Q; Korea.

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Conflict of interest statement

This internet survey was performed after obtaining the approval of the ethics committee of Nihon Pharmaceutical University (approved number: 28–05) and of the institutional review board (IRB) of the Second Affiliated Korean Medical Hospital in Chungju, Semyung University (Semyung University IRB No. 1702–01). Written informed consent was obtained from each study participant prior to participation in the survey. All participants in the survey were asked on the first page of the questionnaire whether they agreed to participate in the study.

Not applicable.

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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