Abstract
Background
This article describes the use of complementary and alternative medicines in an outpatient
pediatric neurology clinic, and assesses family attitudes toward the efficacy of complementary
and alternative medicines versus prescription medications. Complementary and alternative
medicine is an important element of the modern health care landscape. There is limited
information about whether, and to what extent, families perceive its utility in childhood
neurological disorders.
Design/Methods
Surveys were distributed to 500 consecutive patients at a child neurology clinic in
Rochester, Minnesota. Questions pertained to the child's diagnoses, use of complementary
and alternative medicines, and the specific complementary and alternative medicine
modalities that were used. Opinions were also gathered on the perceived efficacy of
complementary and alternative medicines and prescription medications. Data were compared
using χ2 or Fisher exact tests as indicated.
Results
A total of 484 surveys were returned, of which 327 were usable. Only 17.4% admitted
to use of complementary and alternative medicine to treat neurological problems. However,
in follow-up questioning, actually 41.6% of patients recognized that they were using
one or more types of complementary and alternative medicines. Disorders associated
with a statistically significant increased prevalence of complementary and alternative
medicine use were headache (50.8% with headache used complementary and alternative
medicine versus 35.7% without headache; P = 0.008, Fisher exact test), chronic fatigue (63.2% vs 38.8%; P = 0.005, Fisher exact test), and sleep disorders (77.1% vs 37.3%; P < 0.0001, Fisher exact test).
Conclusions
A large proportion of pediatric neurology patients in our clinic are also using complementary
and alternative medicine. Only 38.5% of these recognize themselves as using complementary
and alternative medicine, underlining the need to inquire in-depth about its use.
Patients who are less satisfied with their prescription medications are more likely
to use complementary and alternative medicine, perhaps reflecting the less tractable
nature of their disorders.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 11, 2016
Accepted:
November 1,
2015
Received:
June 26,
2015
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
