Open AccessPain Control in Sickle Cell Disease Patients: Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Author(s) -
Thompson Wendy E.,
Eriator Ike
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
pain medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.893
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1526-4637
pISSN - 1526-2375
DOI - 10.1111/pme.12292
Subject(s) - medicine , disease , sickle cell anemia , physical therapy , cross sectional study , tertiary care , population , young adult , pediatrics , alternative medicine , family medicine , pathology , environmental health
Objective To examine the factors associated with the use of complementary and alternative medicine ( CAM ) as reported by patients attending an adult sickle cell clinic at a tertiary institution. Design Cross‐sectional survey. Setting This study was conducted in a university tertiary care adult sickle cell clinic. Subjects Adult sickle cell patients. Method Following I nstitutional R eview B oard approval, a questionnaire was administered to patients in a sickle cell clinic to examine their use of CAM for managing pain at home and while admitted to the hospital. Results Of the 227 respondents who completed the questionnaire, 92% experienced pain lasting from 6 months to more than 2 years. Two hundred and eight (91.6%) indicated that they have used CAM within the last 6 months to control pain. The frequency of CAMs use was higher among females, singles, those with more education, and higher household income. Conclusions This study shows that a substantial majority of sickle cell patients live with pain on a regular basis and that there is substantial CAM use in the adult Sickle cell disease population. Being female and having a high school or higher education were significantly correlated with the use of CAM in sickle cell patients. A variety of CAM therapies are used, with the most common being prayer.