OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the application status of
Chinese medicine (CM) in
cancer rehabilitation, so as to provide references for improving the level of CM
cancer rehabilitation.@*
METHODS@#A
survey questionnaire regarding "application status of CM
rehabilitation in
cancer patients" for
oncologists (doctor version) and
cancer patients (
patient version) were developed, respectively. From September 2014 to November 2016, a total of 1,000 doctors from oncology department in 48
hospitals and 2,000
cancer patients from CM oncology department from 8
hospitals in
China were recruited in this
survey. The psychological,
nutrition and
exercise rehabilitation guidance for
cancer patients provided by doctors, their mastery conditions regarding
cancer staging treatment and CM
syndrome differentiation, and recommendation from doctors on CM
rehabilitation were investigated.
Cancer patients'
awareness on the importance of psychological,
nutrition and
exercise rehabilitation, as well as their
knowledge and
needs for
rehabilitation were also analyzed. The impact of
gender, age, professional title,
hospitals grades of
physicians on their
knowledge of
cancer staging treatment and CM
syndrome differentiation, and the relationship between
gender, age,
education level and
economic conditions and
patient's
knowledge along with the
needs of CM
rehabilitation were further analyzed.@*RESULTS@#Totally 1,000
questionnaires were issued to doctors and 963
questionnaires returned, among which 948 were valid representing a response rate of 94.80%. A total of 2,000
questionnaires were issued to
patients and 1,705 valid data finally returned with a response rate of 85.25%. The
survey showed that
cancer patients generally paid much
attention to psychological, nutritional and
sports rehabilitation, and had a strong demand for CM
rehabilitation.
Knowledge of CM
rehabilitation was not well provided by
oncologists, and the
rehabilitation guidance as well as CM
rehabilitation measures were obviously insufficient in
cancer patients. Educational and economic levels were positively correlated with
cognition level of CM
rehabilitation knowledge among
cancer patients (Kendall-tau_b correlation coefficients=0.130, 0.057, respectively; P<0.05).
Gender and
education level were positively correlated with the
patients' willingness for taking CM
measures (Kendall-tau_b correlation coefficient=0.057, 0.105, respectively; P<0.05). Age was negatively correlated with
intention of applying CM
measures (kendall-taub correlation coefficient=-0.105, P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#
Health education and
professional training for both
cancer patients and
oncologists should be strengthened and CM
rehabilitation knowledge among
cancer patients and
oncologists should be improved, so as to give full
play to CM in
cancer rehabilitation.