Comparing Medical Doctor's view on Alternative Medicine in Taiwan and Sweden: Comparing Medical Doctors' Views on Alternative Medicine

Mirza Muhamad  Fahad Baig

doi:10.54393/pjhs.v4i04.617

Authors

Mirza Muhamad Fahad Baig Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54393/pjhs.v4i04.617

Keywords:

Alternative Medicine, Cross-Cultural Medical Practices, Evidence-Based, Health Management, Symbolic Interaction, Western Medicine

Abstract

Numerous research endeavors have delved into the perceptions of medical physicians regarding alternative medicine; nevertheless, none have employed the symbolic interaction paradigm to scrutinize their individual viewpoints. Objective: To broaden our knowledge of complementary medicine by analyzing the viewpoints and engagement with it among individuals hailing from Taiwan and Sweden. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a diverse group of medical professionals from Taiwan and Sweden, representing a range of specialties and levels of experience. Results: Four themes were identified: (1) Evidence-based medicine, (2) The views of medical doctors on alternative medicine, (3) Belief associated with alternative medicine, and (4) Stigma associated with alternative medicine. Conclusions: The findings indicate a common understanding of Western medicine as evidence-based among both Taiwanese and Swedish doctors, with Taiwanese doctors also viewing alternative medicine as experience-based, reflecting the influence of local history, social context, and regulations.

References

Manning N. Sociology, biology and mechanisms in urban mental health. Social Theory & Health. 2019 Mar; 17(1): 1-22. doi: 10.1057/s41285-018-00085-7.

Burbank PM and Martins DC. Symbolic interactionism and critical perspective: divergent or synergistic? Nursing Philosophy. 2010 Jan; 11(1): 25-41. doi: 10.1111/j.1466-769X.2009.00421.x.

Kaminskas R and Darulis Ž. Peculiarities of medical sociology: application of social theories in analyzing health and medicine. Medicina. 2007 Feb; 43(2): 110. doi: 10.3390/medicina43020013.

Pérard M, Mittring N, Schweiger D, Kummer C, Witt CM. MERGING conventional and complementary medicine in a clinic department–a theoretical model and practical recommendations. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2015 Dec; 15(1): 1-8. doi: 10.1186/s12906-015-0696-2.

Whorton JC. Nature cures: The history of alternative medicine in America. Oxford University Press; 2002.

Lindquist R, Tracy MF, Snyder M, editors. Complementary and alternative therapies in nursing. Springer Publishing Company; 2018. doi: 10.1891/9780826144348.

Wang HP and Wang CL. Risk undermined in the bilateral pharmaceutical regulatory system in Taiwan. Journal of Food and Drug Analysis. 2018 Apr; 26(2): S3-11. doi: 10.1016/j.jfda.2017.11.012.

Oxelmark L, Lindberg A, Löfberg R, Sternby B, Eriksson A, Almer S, et al. Use of complementary and alternative medicine in Swedish patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a controlled study. European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology. 2016 Nov; 28(11): 1320. doi: 10.1097/MEG.0000000000000710.

Carter MJ and Fuller C. Symbols, meaning, and action: The past, present, and future of symbolic interactionism. Current Sociology. 2016 Oct; 64(6): 931-61. doi: 10.1177/0011392116638396.

Maycock B. Understanding the Public’s Health Problems: Applications of Symbolic Interaction to Public Health. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health. 2015 Jan; 27(1): 24-8. doi: 10.1177/1010539514561086.

Huber CM, Barth N, Linde K. How young german general practitioners view and use complementary and alternative medicine: a qualitative study. Complementary Medicine Research. 2020 Jun; 27(6): 383-91. doi: 10.1159/000507073.

Izgu N and Metin ZG. Complementary and alternative therapies from the Turkish Physician's perspective: An embedded mixed-method study. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2020 May; 39: 101144. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2020.101144.

Liem A. Beliefs, attitudes towards, and experiences of using complementary and alternative medicine: A qualitative study of clinical psychologists in Indonesia. European Journal of Integrative Medicine. 2019 Feb; 26: 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.eujim.2019.01.003.

Münstedt K, Harren H, von Georgi R, Hackethal A. Complementary and alternative medicine: comparison of current knowledge, attitudes and interest among German medical students and doctors. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2011 Jan; 2011: 790951. doi: 10.1093/ecam/nen079.

Baig MMF. Adding meaning to medicine. 2021. Available at: https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/17166/.

Baig MMF. Digital Healthcare Technologies in a Comparative Perspective: The Case of Taiwan and Sweden: Digital Healthcare Technologies in a Comparative Perspective. Pakistan Journal of Health Sciences. 2023 Jan; 4(1): 43-8. doi: 10.54393/pjhs.v4i01.472.

Tam KP and Milfont TL. Towards cross-cultural environmental psychology: A state-of-the-art review and recommendations. Journal of Environmental Psychology. 2020 Oct; 71: 101474. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101474.

Tranmer J, Squires S, Brazil K, Gerlach J, Johnson J, Muisiner D, et al. Factors that influence evidence-based decision-making. Canadian Health Action: Building on the Legacy. 1998; 5: 5-97.

French P. What is the evidence on evidence‐based nursing? An epistemological concern. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2002 Feb; 37(3): 250-7. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2648.2002.02065.x.

Saltman RB, Yeh MJ, Liu Y. Can Asia provide models for tax-based European health systems? A comparative study of Singapore and Sweden. Health Economics, Policy and Law. 2022 Apr; 17(2): 157-74. doi: 10.1017/S1744133120000390.

Goffman E. Stigma: Notes on the management of spoiled identity. Simon and Schuster; 2009.

Link BG, Wells J, Phelan JC, Yang L. Understanding the importance of “symbolic interaction stigma”: How expectations about the reactions of others adds to the burden of mental illness stigma. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal. 2015 Jun; 38(2): 117. doi: 10.1037/prj0000142.