OBJECTIVE: To investigate the patterns of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) use among pregnant women in the National Health Insurance program in Taiwan. METHODS: Women who gave birth in Taiwan in 2006 were identified from the National Health Insurance Research Database. Claims for reimbursement following TCM ambulatory visits by these women were analyzed. RESULTS: In total, 20.9% of women in the study who gave birth in 2006 used TCM during pregnancy, with older women more likely to utilize this form of care (23.9% of women >35 years of age vs 16.2% of women <20 years of age). There was an increase in the use of TCM for pregnancy-related problems such as hypertension (194 women before pregnancy vs 2163 during) and nausea/vomiting (220 women before vs 1648 during). The predominant modality (88.4%) of TCM treatment during pregnancy was herbal preparation. CONCLUSION: Traditional Chinese medicine, with the exception of acupuncture, is popular among pregnant women in Taiwan. In addition to its efficacy, the safety of TCM during pregnancy requires future investigation.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the patterns of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) use among pregnant women in the National Health Insurance program in Taiwan. METHODS:Women who gave birth in Taiwan in 2006 were identified from the National Health Insurance Research Database. Claims for reimbursement following TCM ambulatory visits by these women were analyzed. RESULTS: In total, 20.9% of women in the study who gave birth in 2006 used TCM during pregnancy, with older women more likely to utilize this form of care (23.9% of women >35 years of age vs 16.2% of women <20 years of age). There was an increase in the use of TCM for pregnancy-related problems such as hypertension (194 women before pregnancy vs 2163 during) and nausea/vomiting (220 women before vs 1648 during). The predominant modality (88.4%) of TCM treatment during pregnancy was herbal preparation. CONCLUSION: Traditional Chinese medicine, with the exception of acupuncture, is popular among pregnant women in Taiwan. In addition to its efficacy, the safety of TCM during pregnancy requires future investigation.
Authors: Qian Li; Susan E Andrade; William O Cooper; Robert L Davis; Sascha Dublin; Tarek A Hammad; Pamala A Pawloski; Simone P Pinheiro; Marsha A Raebel; Pamela E Scott; David H Smith; Inna Dashevsky; Katherine Haffenreffer; Karin E Johnson; Sengwee Toh Journal: Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf Date: 2013-01-21 Impact factor: 2.890
Authors: Ming-Hwai Lin; Hsiao-Ting Chang; Chun-Yi Tu; Tzeng-Ji Chen; Shinn-Jang Hwang Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2015-08-14 Impact factor: 3.390