Alternative and Complementary Health Practices among Emergency Department Patients

Purpose: Alternative and Complementary Health Practices (ACHPs) are commonly used in today's society. However, the extent of communication between patients and physicians regarding these practices is unclear. The purpose of this study is to characterize ACHP among Emergency Department (ED) patients and to assess communication with physicians regarding the practices. Methods: A multi-center cross sectional convenience sample survey of adult, English speaking patients over 18 years of age presenting to two academic ED's (academic, urban center and suburban, community hospital, combined census 60,000) over a 14 month period. The survey included demographics, ACHP, reasons for ACHP, and communication with healthcare providers regarding ACHP. Descriptive and univariate analyses were used to describe the characteristics of respondents and to identify factors associated with ACHPs and physician communication. Results: Of the 992 patients who completed the survey, the majority were male (51.1%), under 65 years of age (90.2%), Caucasian (55.5%), and had fewer than four years of college (71.3%). 652 (65.7%) respondents reported at least one ACHP and 71.3% of them reported three or fewer. The most common reported ACHPs were non-MD prescribed vitamin use (52.4%) and massage therapy (29.3%). Patients with higher education and income were more likely to report ACHPs (p's<0.05). 56.7% of patients have discussed practices with their primary care physicians. Females and older patients were more likely to discuss practices with physicians (p's<0.05). Conclusions: The majority of ED patients reported ACHPs. These data suggest that a large proportion of patients do not discuss ACHPs with their primary care providers.