Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Cancer Patients in Rural Australia.
AIM
Numerous studies have demonstrated the high prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in metropolitan cancer cohorts but few have been conducted in regional and remote populations. This study aimed to investigate the trends and regional variations in CAM use by cancer patients at a regional cancer care center in Toowoomba, South East Queensland, Australia.


METHODS
All English-speaking adult cancer patients attending the regional cancer care center were invited to participate. Eligible patients were provided a self-administered questionnaire that was developed based on published surveys. Ethics approval was obtained.


RESULTS
Overall 142 patients completed the questionnaire and 68% were currently or had previously used at least one form of CAM. CAM users and nonusers did not differ significantly by region, age, gender, time since diagnosis, income, town size, treatment intent, or metastases. CAM users were more likely to have a higher level of education. Concurrent CAM use with conventional treatment was reported by approximately half of respondents. The most common reason for CAM use was "to improve general physical well-being." The most common sources of CAM information were family (31%) and friends (29%). Disclosure of CAM use to either the general practitioner or specialist was reported by 46% and 33% of patients, respectively. The most common reason for nondisclosure was "doctor never asked."


CONCLUSION
This study supports previous research that CAM use is as common in regional and remote areas as metropolitan areas. Nondisclosure of CAM use to health professionals was common. Future research needs to focus on strategies to improve communication between patients and health professionals about the use of CAM.
['Sullivan|Aimee|A|', 'Gilbar|Peter|P|', 'Curtain|Colin|C|']
D002173:Cancer Care Facilities D000529:Complementary Therapies D030881:Disclosure D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D009369:Neoplasms D011793:Queensland D012424:Rural Population D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
complementary and alternative medicine cancer rural Australia regional and remote CAM use chemotherapy