The use of complementary and alternative medicine and pain relievers among refugees resettled in the USA
International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care
ISSN: 1747-9894
Article publication date: 6 October 2021
Issue publication date: 25 November 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to describe the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), pain reliever use and the expectations refugees have of physicians about their practice of CAM use in the USA. Individuals with a refugee background are one of the populations who use CAM for treatment. However, to date, there is insufficient empirical evidence to describe CAM use among refugees resettled in the USA. In addition, collecting information about the use of pain relievers would help better understand the experiences of individuals with a refugee background.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was collected from August 2018 to November 2019 using a self- or interviewer-administered survey from 94 refugees 18 years of age or older who had settled in the USA.
Findings
This study found the following: CAM practice is very common among refugees resettled in the USA, most refugees use non-prescription pain medicine and refugees prefer to see physicians who understand CAM. This study contributes valuable findings in the usage of CAM among refugees and determines that CAM is commonly used among refugees resettled in the USA for pain management.
Originality/value
By better understanding CAM, physicians can address a direct need for the refugee population-seeking health care in the USA and other countries that host refugee resettlement.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgments: The authors thank the participants of this study and Jacqueline Bao Trang Nguyen for her assistance for this study.Funding: The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this paper.Authors’ contributions: Mu Pye, Kai Sin, and Akiko Kamimura contributed to the conceptualization, design and development of this programme. Akiko Kamimura was primarily responsible for the programme design, development and implementation. Mu Pye and Kai Sin took the main responsibility of data collection. Kai Sin worked on data management. Naveen Rathi wrote the first draft. Sarah Elizabeth Garza-Levitt helped Naveen Rathi’s manuscript preparation. All the authors were involved in drafting the manuscript and approving the final manuscript.Disclosure statement: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Ethical consideration: This study was approved by the IRB.
Citation
Rathi, N., Pye, M., Sin, K., Garza-Levitt, S.E. and Kamimura, A. (2021), "The use of complementary and alternative medicine and pain relievers among refugees resettled in the USA", International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, Vol. 17 No. 4, pp. 500-507. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMHSC-10-2020-0092
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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