| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立陽明大學 === 臨床護理研究所 === 95 === Two-tiered medical system including modern medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a special feature of the medical system in Taiwan. Use of TCM is very popular in cancer sufferers, but few studies examined factors associated with this phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to compare the differences in characteristics between women using only modern medicine and those using TCM in addition to modern medicine among women with breast and gynecologic cancer.
This study applied a cross-sectional, descriptive and correlational study design. The inclusion criteria were women who had cervical cancer, breast cancer and ovary cancer for more than 1 year, and women who received modern medical treatment during the past year. TCM group was defined as receiving TCM prescribed by a qualified TCM doctor for more than 2 months during the past year. Women who did not meet the criteria of TCM group were in the Modern medicine group (MM). The study participants were 216 women, with 101 in the TCM group, and 115 in the MM group. A face-to-face interview with structured questionnaires was conducted. The study variables included socio-demographics, disease characteristics; prior experiences in seeking medical care, health locus of control, and use of other complementary and alternative medicine treatment. Data analyses were performed using independent-sample t-test, Chi-squared test, and binary logistic regression.
The results showed that TCM group were 1.12 times more likely to report external health control by significant others than the MM group (95% CI: 1.03~1.22). TCM group were 37.11 times more likely to have consulted their oncologists about TCM use (95% CI: 3.73~311.90). TCM group were 17.6 times more likely to report that their friends and relatives agreed their use of TCM （95% CI: 5.57~55.65）. These factors account for 41% of the model variances.
This study found that use of TCM among women with breast and gynecologic cancer is influenced by their friends/relatives and health care providers. Health professionals should understand treatment expectations of women with cancer and their family members. Information regarding different treatment options need to be provided in order to support women choosing treatment method that meets their needs
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