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Many complementary and alternative medical practices (CAM) are readily assessable in Australia alongside Allopathic practitioners. Although CAM practices are prevalent, little is known about how patients seek and use information when deciding which system to consult. We report some preliminary findings of a longitudinal study, designed to solicit factors that influence the Australian public when selecting from diverse medical systems. Fifty-four general public participants, willing to provide their confidential and anonymous opinion were included. The magnitudes of importance, critical in influencing factors, were screened. Results indicated a medical system was selected for its effectiveness, safety, credentials and care (p<0.001). Consultation time, convenience, cost, empowerment and rapport were less important factors (p<0.001) influencing selection of a medical system. The level of choices by participants [χ² (1, N=54) = 53.445, p<0.001] follow similar trends found for those in conventional medical systems. This contrasts with findings in other locations, where cost and time were major contributing factors when selecting medical systems.

Item Type:	Refereed Conference Paper
Keywords:	medical system, longitudinal study, diverse medical systems, influencing factors, empowerment
Research Division:	Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services
Research Group:	Business systems in context
Research Field:	Business information management (incl. records, knowledge and intelligence)
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Evaluation of health and support services
Objective Field:	Evaluation of health and support services not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Butler-Henderson, K (Associate Professor Kerryn Butler-Henderson)
ID Code:	136470
Year Published:	2018
Web of Science® Times Cited:	2
Deposited By:	TSBE
Deposited On:	2019-12-23
Last Modified:	2019-12-23
Downloads:	30 View Download Statistics