Abstract
Objectives : Based on a national sample survey, we present an analysis of the current situation in the use of moxibustion therapeutics by qualified medical practitioners in Korea. Methods : The survey population of 11,737 hospitals is stratified by administrative regions, and 331 of them are randomly selected from the list of hospitals. The same number of Korean medical doctors is interviewed under the computer-assisted telephone interviewing(CATI) system. The bound on the error of estimation is ${\pm}\;5.0%$ point. Results : Of the 331 Korean medical doctors surveyed, 69% have used moxibustion therapy for remedial treatment. About half of those doctors have employed the therapy for their patients over 30%. The average number of acupuncture points per treatment using the therapy mostly ranges 1 between 5. The percent of practitioners, who have the number of average minutes less than 20 in treatment, is 74%. The number of practitioners who primarily use modified moxibustion is 4 times as many as that of those using traditional moxibustion. Conclusions : Considering the survey results, if the laser heater, alternative to conventional moxibustion, which not only gives high thermal effect but also reduces both the users inconvenience and side effects, are developed, it may benefit more patients as well as Korean medical doctors.
