Awareness, demands and satisfaction of Traditional Chinese Medicine service among the elderly residents in nursing home / 中华全科医师杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To survey the status quo of awareness, demands and satisfaction of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) service among the elderly residents in nursing home.Methods:A randomized survey on the status quo of TCM service was conducted from May to July 2019 among 237 elderly in 9 long-term care facilities close to a TCM hospital in Pudong New Area. The awareness, demands, satisfaction and influencing factors were analyzed.Results:Among 237 participants, only 1(0.4%)knew the TCM and its care well, however, 195 (82.3%) showed demands of TCM service. There were significant differences in the scores of demands and satisfaction of TCM among participants with different age, education level, marital status, medical insurance and health level ( P<0.05). Among the 16 TCM services, the three with top demand scores were acupoint massage (3.54±1.21), TCM health education (3.29±1.08), TCM drug iontophoresis (3.23±1.26); the three with top satisfaction scores were TCM health education (3.38±0.94), traditional health exercise (3.33±0.95), moxibustion (3.32±1.15). The demands and satisfactory were most correlated with each other in the guidance TCM medication ( r=0.996) and TCM herb tea ( r=0.988); and least correlated in the identification of TCM constitution ( r=0.305) and acupoint massage ( r=0.484). Conclusions:Among the elderly in long-term care facilities the awareness of TCM is at a low level, while the demands of TCM service are high. It is necessary to promote TCM service for elderly in long-term care facilities through TCM health education and developing the TCM products and appropriate techniques.