Objective-To explore the attitudes of Hong Kong Chinese towards the strengths and weaknesses of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Western medicine. Design-Qualitative study of subjects' opinions using semi-structured focus group interviews. Setting-Southern district of Hong Kong Island where many of the residents have a fisherman background. Participants-Twenty nine participants took part in eight focus group interviews. Measurements and main resultsParticipants' attitudes towards TCM and Western medicine were explored in the interviews. Both TCM and Western medicine are used concurrently by many people in Hong Kong. Patients make decisions on which type of doctors they want to see for the specific illnesses that they are suVering from. They consider both types of medicines to have strengths and weaknesses: TCM being better in curing the root of the problem but quite slow in action while Western medicine is more powerful but sometimes too powerful with significant side eVects. Conclusions-It is important for medical practitioners to be aware of the health attitudes of their patients from diVerent ethnic backgrounds. It will lead to a better patient-doctor relationship and better compliance of treatment. (J Epidemiol Community Health 2001;55:762-765)
Strengthening the primary care system and promoting utilization of primary care are the major targets of China's ambitious health reforms to meet its people's escalating health care needs. However, the changing trend of primary care utilization 4 years before and after 2009, when the health reforms started, is against the government's stated goal. The percentage of outpatient visits in primary care significantly declined from 63% in 2005 to 59% in 2013 (P ؍ .002). In Western China it went down from 66% in 2010 to 62% in 2013 (P ؍ .017) and slightly dropped in Eastern and Central China. Causes are multiple and include major historic and institutional factors such as severe maldistribution of human resources and lack of primary care practitioners (PCPs), lack of a functional gate-keeping mechanism, the low educational attainment of PCPs, and the detrimental elements of health reforms. Immediate measures need to be taken to improve the situation. These include taking irrational hospital expansion under strict control through enhancing the government's accountability for health care industry regulation, strategies to recruit and retain a quality primary care workforce, empowering PCPs as gatekeepers in the system, timely evaluation of the impact of health reforms on primary care, and modifying damaging policies. ( J Am Board Fam Med 2016;29:240 -247.)
The two five-item screening scales for anxiety and depression provide a practical way for PCPs to evaluate the likelihood of mood and anxiety disorders without paper and pencil measures that are not feasible in many settings. These scales may provide substantially improved case detection as compared to current primary care practice and a realistic alternative to complex diagnostic algorithms used by specialist mental health professionals.
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