Use of complementary and alternative medicine in Puerto Rico

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been defined as a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine. The use of CAM has become widespread, with expense in the U.S. equal to all out-of-pocket expenses for physician services. Patient safety and access issues, financial and cost considerations and the role of CAM practices in health promotion and prevention are primary concerns for patients, providers, insurers, policy makers and health care managers in Puerto Rico as well as in other countries. However, studies on CAM use in the island are non-existent. This paper presents findings from a CAM household study (N=203) designed to examine CAM use patterns in the Bayamón municipality in Puerto Rico using the U.S. National Health Interview Survey. In 2008, overall use prevalence of CAM therapies in the past 12 months was 56%. Specific CAM therapies most commonly used were natural products (35%), deep breathing exercises (24%), meditation (17%), and massage (7.4%). Eighteen percent of subjects in the sample reported having some kind of CAM benefit in their health insurance plan. This is the first study of its kind in Puerto Rico and is funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).