Men with Prostate Cancer: Making Decisions About Complementary/alternative Medicine

Overview

Journal Med Decis Making

Publisher Sage Publications

Date 2003 Dec 16

PMID 14672107

Citations 21

Authors

Heather Boon

Judith Belle Brown

Alan Gavin

Kathleen Westlake

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore prostate cancer patients 'perceptions, feelings, ideas, and experiences regarding making decisions to use (or not use) complementary/alternative medicine (CAM).

Methods: Five focus groups were conducted with 29 men diagnosed with prostate cancer. Content analysis of the verbatim transcripts was used to identify key themes in the data.

Findings: Decision making about CAM treatments appears to depend on both fixed (e.g., disease characteristics, demographic characteristics, and medical history) and flexible (e.g., perceptions of CAM and conventional medicine, experiences with the health care system and health care practitioners, and perceptions about the need for control or action) decision factors.

Conclusions: The participants in this study appeared more likely to be "pushed" toward using CAM by negative experiences with the health care system than to be "pulled" toward CAM by perceptions about its safety or congruence with their beliefs about health and illness.

Citing Articles

The prevalence and pattern of complementary and alternative medicine use among cancer patients in a tertiary oncology center: a cross-sectional study.

Almouaalamy N, Banjar L, Alshaikh H, Altowairqi J, Alharbi N, Alghamdi W Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2023; 85(11):5420-5427.

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Mind-body-medicine in oncology-from patient needs to tailored programs and interventions: a cross-sectional study.

Leonhardt J, Winkler M, Kollikowski A, Schiffmann L, Quenzer A, Einsele H Front Psychol. 2023; 14:1140693.

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Addressing Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Individuals With Cancer: An Integrative Review and Clinical Practice Guideline.

Balneaves L, Watling C, Hayward E, Ross B, Taylor-Brown J, Porcino A J Natl Cancer Inst. 2021; 114(1):25-37.

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Potential factors that influence usage of complementary and alternative medicine worldwide: a systematic review.

Tangkiatkumjai M, Boardman H, Walker D BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020; 20(1):363.

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Exploring the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Cancer Patients.

Jones E, Nissen L, McCarthy A, Steadman K, Windsor C Integr Cancer Ther. 2019; 18:1534735419854134.

PMID: 31170844 PMC: 6557018. DOI: 10.1177/1534735419854134.