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. 2022 Jan 29;10(2):269.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare10020269.

A Survey on Treatment Status of Korean Medicine Doctors for the Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: Preliminary Data for Guidance of Integrative Care

Chan-Young Kwon  1 , Boram Lee  2
Affiliations

A Survey on Treatment Status of Korean Medicine Doctors for the Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: Preliminary Data for Guidance of Integrative Care

Chan-Young Kwon et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are major causes of care burden in patients with dementia. Integrative care, including Western medicine (WM) and Korean medicine (KM), can be an attractive option for this condition. To investigate the experience and perceptions of dementia care; experience, knowledge, and perceptions of management for BPSD; the need for guidance of integrative care for BPSD management, KM doctors were surveyed. A total of 137 KM doctors completed the survey. Most institutions where the participants worked were able to provide integrative care services (88.32%). The rate of referral for dementia patients from the WM to KM departments was also highest in the convalescent hospital setting (94.92%), while the rate was lowest in the public health center setting (38.46%). The common purpose of KM treatments for patients with dementia included "psychological symptom treatment" (37.23%); however, the number of referrals from WM to KM departments for BPSD management was relatively few (25.64%). Participants perceived that knowledge about KM or integrative care for BPSD of non-KMD personnel working at the same institution was generally low. Based on these results, facilitating mutual exchange between WM and KM can help establish integrative care for dementia management in Korea.

Keywords: BPSD; Korean medicine; dementia; integrative medicine; survey.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of this survey.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Types of dementia treated by participants (n = 137). AD, Alzheimer’s disease; FTD, frontotemporal dementia; KM, Korean medicine; LBD, Lewy body dementia; PDD, Parkinson’s disease dementia; VaD, vascular dementia.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The purpose of treatments for patients with dementia: (a) KM treatment for patients with dementia (n = 137); (b) reason for referral from WM department for patients with dementia (n = 85); (c) reason for referral to WM department for patients with dementia (n = 73). KM, Korean medicine; WM, Western medicine.
Figure 4
Figure 4
KM treatments for patients with dementia and BPSD: (a) use of KM treatment for patients with dementia (n = 137); (b) the perception of effectiveness of KM treatment for BPSD (n = 137). BPSD, behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia; HM, herbal medicine; KM, Korean medicine; WM, Western medicine.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The reason for the need of integrative care for BPSD (n = 129). BPSD, behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia.
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