本研究目的期望能了解民使用輔助療法的情形。研究採橫斷式描述型相關性研究設計法，台中地區住在社區中之成年民為母群體，以姓名登錄在台中地區住家電話簿者和同住之成年家人為可及母群體，採系統抽樣獲得研究對象。本研究使用研究者自擬的查核表式的結構性問卷，進行電話訪談調查以收集資料，包括人口學資料、疾病診斷、自覺的健康狀況、各種輔助療法之種類以及過去一年使用輔助療法的原因等。資料以SPSS 10.0 for Window 2000進行統計分析，以次數、百分比、平均數、卡方檢定來回答研究問題。結果一共完成505份問卷，有484位(95.8%)的個案使用至少一種以上的輔助療法，卻有396位(81.6%)不曾告訴過醫護人員，使用輔助療法的種類以民俗偏方(58.9%)居多，其次是看中醫(49.4%)以及服用營養劑(48.4%)等。輔助療法使用情形與大部分的基本人口學變項並無統計上的差異。本結果可以使主流的醫療體系正視輔助療法使用之現象，將民是否使用輔助療法納入評估中，找出使用輔助療法之民，以提供民所需的正確知識，並注意輔助療法對於正規治療的影響。
The purpose of this study was to understand the status of use of complementary therapies among adults living in the central Taiwan. A cross-sectional descriptive correlational design was used. Study population was adults residing in Taichung area communities. The names and addresses were accessed through their listing in the residential telephone book. Demographic characteristics, disease history, perceived health status and type, and frequency of use and reason for complementary therapies during the past year were collected using a telephone survey. Data were analyzed (SPSS 10.0 for Windows 2000) for frequency, percentage, mean, and chi-square. Of the 505 interviewees, nearly all 484 (95.8%) had used at least one complementary therapy, although of these most 395 (81.6%) never mentioned this to their medical caregivers. The most popular therapies were folk therapies (58.9%), Chinese medicine (49.4%) and nutritional supplements (48.4%). There was no demographic difference between those who did and did not use complementary therapies. These findings suggest a benefit to conventional health providers in incorporating complementary treatments as part of medical assessment, and providing scientific knowledge about complementary therapies and their potential effects on conventional treatments.
