ArticleEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2013
Integrating traditional chinese medicine services in community health centers: insights into utilization patterns in the pearl river region of china.
Article in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed.
- Factors associated with Traditional Chinese Medicine use among older adults with chronic diseases in China.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Achieving Universal Health Coverage and Health-Related Sustainable Developmental Goals in Nepal through Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine.JNMA; journal of the Nepal Medical Association · 2025Article
- Why some embrace and others hesitate? A behavioral analysis of insomnia sufferers' engagement with acupuncture treatment.World journal of psychiatry · 2025Article
- Characteristics and Related Factors of Chinese Herbal Medicine Use in Middle-Aged and Older Patients with Cardiovascular Disease in China: A Cross-Sectional Study.Patient preference and adherence · 2025Article
- Perceived Quality of Traditional Chinese Medicine Care in Community Health Services: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Hangzhou of China.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2022Article
- Low methodological quality of systematic reviews on acupuncture: a cross-sectional study.BMC medical research methodology · 2021Article
- Efficacy and safety of Qishen granules for chronic heart failure: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.Medicine · 2020Article
- Association of Acupuncture Treatment with Mortality of Type 2 Diabetes in China: Evidence of a Real-World Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Belief in and use of traditional Chinese medicine in Shanghai older adults: a cross-sectional study.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2020Article
- Acupuncture and related therapies for treating irritable bowel syndrome: overview of systematic reviews and network meta-analysis.Therapeutic advances in gastroenterology · 2019Article
- Cross-sectional study of factors associated with community health centre use in a recently urbanised community in Chengdu, China.BMJ open · 2017Article
- Observational
- Regional Influences on Chinese Medicine Education: Comparing Australia and Hong Kong.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2016Review
- Article
- Comparing quality of public primary care between Hong Kong and Shanghai using validated patient assessment tools.PloS one · 2015Article
- Use of medications and lifestyles of hypertensive patients with high risk of cardiovascular disease in rural China.PloS one · 2015Article
- Comparison of perceived quality amongst migrant and local patients using primary health care delivered by community health centres in Shenzhen, China.BMC family practice · 2014Article
- Popularity and customer preferences for over-the-counter Chinese medicines perceived by community pharmacists in Shanghai and Guangzhou: a questionnaire survey study.Chinese medicine · 2014Article
- Frequency and pattern of Chinese herbal medicine prescriptions for urticaria in Taiwan during 2009: analysis of the national health insurance database.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2013Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
In China's healthcare reform, community health centers (CHCs) are designed to take a pivotal role in providing primary care. Whilst about 20% of all outpatient care in China is delivered by the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) sector, hospitals, instead of CHCs, are major providers. Using current patterns of patient utilization this study aims to inform CHCs on how they may strengthen access to TCM services. Three thousand three hundred and sixty CHC patients from six cities within the urban Pearl Delta Region were enumerated using multistage cluster sampling. Fifty-two percent had visited herbalists within three months with a mean visit frequency of 1.50 times. Herbal treatments, which are cheaper than western medicines, were more popular amongst those who needed to pay out of pocket including the uninsured. Herbal medicines appeared to be an alternative for those who are underinsured. Acupuncturists and massage therapists were visited by smaller proportions, 6.58% and 5.98%, respectively, with a mean three-month visit of 0.27 and 0.26 times. Access was restricted by lack of social insurance coverage. Whilst increasing provision of TCM in CHCs might respond to patient demand, increasing insurance coverage for TCM needs to be evaluated using current evidence on safety and effectiveness.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.