Complementary and alternative medicine among hospitalized pediatric patients
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Published on: November 9, 2016
Adi Oren-Amit1, Matitiahu Berkovitch2, Hilla Bahat1
1Pediatric Division, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin, Affiliated to the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Insights
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is common in hospitalized children, with over half of patients utilizing these therapies. Medical staff frequently overlook CAM use, highlighting the need for its inclusion in patient histories.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Integrative Medicine
Background:
- Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasingly utilized across various populations.
- Understanding CAM use patterns in hospitalized children is crucial for comprehensive care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence and characteristics of CAM use in hospitalized children.
- To assess pediatric medical staff's awareness of CAM utilization by patients.
- To identify factors associated with CAM use in this demographic.
Main Methods:
- A questionnaire was administered to parents of 146 children (aged 0-18) admitted to a pediatric division.
- Medical charts were reviewed to verify documentation of CAM use.
- Socio-demographic data and reasons for CAM use were collected.
Main Results:
- Over half (54.3%) of the surveyed children used CAM, primarily for colic and teething.
- CAM use was influenced by family, physicians, pharmacists, and friends.
- Medical staff awareness and documentation of CAM use were very low (3.4% asked, 0% documented).
- CAM use showed an inverse relationship with child's age and a correlation with belief in CAM.
Conclusions:
- CAM use is prevalent among hospitalized pediatric patients.
- Healthcare providers often overlook CAM use, indicating a gap in routine medical history taking.
- Integrating CAM inquiries into standard medical practice is essential for patient safety and effective treatment.
Objectives:
To estimate the prevalence and describe the characteristics of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among hospitalized children, and to discover the awareness of medical staff regarding CAM use.
Design/Setting:
Parents of children aged 0-18 years admitted to the Pediatric Division at Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Israel between January and July of 2015 (n=146) were provided a questionnaire regarding socio-economic status and evaluating the CAM use. The medical charts of the participants were reviewed in order to establish whether or not CAM use was documented.
Results:
Of those who completed the questionnaire, 78 (54.3%) were using CAM. The major indications for CAM use were colic and teething. CAM use was advised by the family in 44.9%, physician 34.6%, pharmacist 34.6%, friends 30.8%, previous experience 23.1, advertisements 18%, nurses 6.4%, and homeopaths 2.6%. The family physician was aware of CAM use was in 42%. During the admission, only 5 patients were asked about CAM use (3.4%) by the medical staff. Reviewing the medical charts revealed there was no documentation of CAM use in any of the participants. Socio-demographic analysis of our population revealed no differences between users and non users of CAM, but significant differences in belief in CAM (p=0.018) were found. CAM use was age related; the older the child the less the use (p=0.010).
Conclusion:
CAM use is common among hospitalized pediatric patients and is often overlooked by the medical staff. CAM use should be included in the medical history.
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