Acceptance and attitude towards the traditional chinese medicine among asymptomatic COVID-19 patients in Shanghai Fangcang hospital

Objective: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has brought severe damage to global health and socioeconomics. In China, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is the most important complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and it has shown a beneficial role in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. However, it is unknown whether patients are willing to accept TCM treatment. The objective of our study is to investigate the acceptance, attitude, and independent predictors of TCM among asymptomatic COVID-19 patients admitted to Shanghai fangcang hospital during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai in 2022.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on asymptomatic COVID-19 patients in the largest fangcang hospital in Shanghai, China, from April 22, 2022, to May 25, 2022. Based on the literature review of previous similar studies, a self-report questionnaire was developed to assess the patients' attitude and acceptance of TCM, and a multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the independent predictors of TCM acceptance.

Results: A total of 1,121 patients completed the survey, of whom 91.35% were willing to accept CAM treatment whereas 8.65% of participants showed no willingness. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the patients who have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine (OR = 2.069, 95%CI: 1.029-4.162, P = 0.041 vs. not received), understood the culture of TCM (OR = 2.293, 95%CI: 1.029-4.162, P = 0.014 vs. not understood), thought the TCM treatment is safe (OR = 2.856, 95%CI: 1.334-6.112, P = 0.007 vs. not thought), thought the TCM treatment is effective (OR = 2.724, 95%CI: 1.249-5.940, P = 0.012 vs. not thought), and those who informed their attending physician if using TCM for treatment (OR = 3.455, 95%CI:1.867-6.392, P < 0.001 vs. not informed) were more likely to accept TCM treatment. However, patients who thought TCM might delay your treatment (OR = 0.256, 95%CI: 0.142-0.462, P < 0.001 not thought) was an independent predictor for unwillingness to accept TCM treatment.

Conclusion: This study preliminarily investigated the acceptance, attitude, and predictors of intention to receive TCM among asymptomatic COVID-19 patients. It is recommended to increase the publicity of TCM, clarify the impact of TCM and communicate with attending doctors that meet the healthcare needs of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients.