Abstract
Objective : The purpose of this research was to provide basic data for developing the collaborating care of Korean traditional medicine and western medicines by analyzing the perceptions of residents visiting local health centers on the collaborating care. Method : To this end, a self-administrated questionnaire was surveyed to 417 participants from March 10 to March 19, 2005. The questionnaires were regarding medical preferences, effectiveness, co-operative treatment types, and the demographic characteristics of the study population. The main statistical methods employed for analysis were frequency chi-square test analysis, using SPSS system 12.0 software for Windows. Result : First, the perceptions of collaborating care, such as preference and effectiveness, were better for residents who had experienced Korean traditional medicine(p < 0.05). Second, the most favorable collaborating care type was the neuromuscular disease and rehabilitation, and in particular, the preference of the patient who had experienced Korean traditional medicine was much higher than those who had not experienced it(p < 0.05). Third, as for recognizing the future of collaborating care, respondents insisted that collaboration care has to be conducted under evidence-based research. The reasons why collaborating care has not been active were reported as "difference in solving disease problems between oriental medicine and western medicine." The most important role of the Korean traditional medicines in the public sector was to provide specialized service for the elderly and low income households. Conclusion : Most respondents expected the positive effects of the collaborating care and wanted it to develop, particularly for neuromuscular diseases. As for the health promotion program in health centers, it was more popular than the home visiting program for the elderly and preventive rehabilitation for stroke. Now we must plan to balance between the need of the community and the medical provider on collaborating care.
