BackgroundThis study aims to examine the characteristics and behavioral patterns of patients with chronic conditions behind their parallel use of the conventional medicine (CM) and the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) that includes traditional Korean Medicine (KM).MethodsThis cross-sectional study used the self-administered anonymous survey method to obtain the results from inpatients who were staying in three hospitals in Gyeongnam province in Korea.ResultsOf the 423 participants surveyed, 334 participants (79.0%) used some form of CAM among which KM therapies were the most common modalities. The results of a logistic regression analysis showed that the parallel use pattern was most apparent in the groups aged over 40. Patients with hypertension or joint diseases were seen to have higher propensity to show the parallel use patterns, whereas patients with diabetes were not. In addition, many sociodemographic and health-related characteristics are related to the patterns of the parallel use of CAM and CM.ConclusionIn the rural area of Korea, most inpatients who used CM for the management of chronic conditions used CAM in parallel. KM was the most common in CAM modalities, and the aspect of parallel use varied according to the disease conditions.

Unique dual medical system in Korea has resulted in the emergence of dual-licensed medical doctors (DLMDs) who have both traditional Korean medicine (KM) and Western medicine (WM) licenses. There have been few studies on DLMDs in spite of their growing number and importance within the medical system. We surveyed the current status and attitudes of DLMD to assess their role in integrative medicine. Questionnaires were administered to the members of the association of DLMD. Data from 103 DLMD were collected and statistically analyzed. 41.4% of DLMD were copracticing both WM and KM at a single clinic, preferring the WM approach for physical examinations, laboratory tests, and education for patients—and the KM approach for treatment and prescription. Musculoskeletal, gastroenterologic, and allergic diseases were considered to be effectively treated with co-practice. DLMD highly agreed on the efficiency of copractice for disease control and patients' satisfaction. On the other hand, they regarded the lack of health insurance coverage for copractice and increased medical expenditure as major problems in providing co-practice. To expand the role of DLMD as mediators of integration in primary health care, the effectiveness of their co-practice should be evaluated and a corresponding health insurance reimbursement system should be established.

The aim of this study was to identify the complementary and substitute relationships between the use of Korean medicine (KM) and that of Western medicine (WM) in the treatment of musculoskeletal disease. Methods: We analyzed the 2009 Korea Health Panel dataset. General characteristics and the medical utilization of respondents were analyzed descriptively. Logistic regression, negative binominal regression, and Tobit regression analysis were used to identify the relationships between the use of KM and the use, visit frequency, and expenses of WM, respectively. Results: In the treatment of musculoskeletal disease, KM use and non-herbal treatments with Korean medicine significantly reduced WM use. Herb medication use significantly increased WM visit frequency. There were no significant relationships between KM use and WM expenses. Conclusions: There are substitute relationships between WM use and KM use, especially non-herbal treatments in KM. Therefore we need to develop the clinical protocols of KM and WM treatments in the treatment of musculoskeletal disease for proper distribution medical resources.

Purpose: "Traditional Korean Medicine"(TKM) has been managed in Korea government healthcare system. The excellence and distinctiveness of TKM is recognized by the international community, and listed in the 2009 UNESCO World Heritage Site. In this study, we will see how many foreigners know about TKM by characteristics of the respondents.Methods: For research, we developed a self administered questionnaire. The survey was conducted to 105 people who participated 2014 The International Research Congress on Integrative Medicine and Health(2014.5). Among these questionnaires, we used only 100, except that has not been filled in. The questionnaires are composed of awareness of TKM, TM holds nations, TM method of treatment and general characteristic of the respondents (gender, nationality, age etc). To measure TKM awareness by general characteristic of the respondents, we used descriptive statistics and chi-square test technique.Results: 67% of the respondents were female, 55% are American, 12% are Chinese, 8% are Japanese and the rest of them are from Europe or Australia etc. 21% to 25% of responders age was in twenties and fifties. More than half of the respondents have heard of TKM. Among them male respondents were 60.6% higher than female, and the ratio of Asian is higher than other regions. The older responders are, the higher awareness of TKM they have.Conclusion: TKM has been managed by national health care system and systematically formulated. More than half of the international community aware of the TKM, especially the country where has similar culture and close in geographical distance. As the excellence and distinctiveness of TKM were recognized by the international community, Korea government and relevant organizations have to do their best to promote TKM internationally.Contact: Yunhui Baek, yunhuibk11@kiom.re.kr http://dx.

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