Open AccessTraditional Chinese Medicine Use among Emergency Patients in Hong Kong
Author(s) -
Tse ML,
Lau FL
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
hong kong journal of emergency medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.145
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 2309-5407
pISSN - 1024-9079
DOI - 10.1177/102490790701400304
Subject(s) - medicine , traditional chinese medicine , triage , prospective cohort study , emergency department , alternative medicine , emergency medicine , traditional medicine , pediatrics , psychiatry , pathology
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) use has been believed to be common in Hong Kong but no data existed on its prevalence among emergency patients. We conducted a prospective survey to study the prevalence of its use, the type of TCM use, frequency and nature of associated adverse reactions. Methods All accident & emergency department (AED) attendances at the United Christian Hospital were screened by the triage nurse and attending doctor for TCM use and its type in a consecutive 31 day period. The causal relationships between the TCM and their presenting illness were also assessed and decided by the doctor in‐charge. Results 291 out of 21,475 patients (1.4%) reported TCM use within one week. Among them, 117 (40.2%) consumed Chinese herbal medicine, 75 (25.8%) took proprietary Chinese medicine, 1 (0.3%) took both, 96 (33.0%) received topical treatment and 2 (0.7%) were unclassified, with 22 out of the 291 TCM users (7.6%) presented for TCM‐related toxicity. Most complications were mild, the commonest ones being dermatitis after topical treatment (68.2%) and allergic reaction after oral intake (22.7%). Conclusion A small number of patients took TCM treatment shortly before AED consultation. Most TCM‐related toxicities were mild and the commonest reactions were dermatitis and systemic allergy.