Use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among emergency department (ED) patients in Sweden

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that the combination of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) with conventional medicine carries a risk of adverse effects. The prevalence of CAM usage among patients in the Swedish emergency department (ED) is unknown. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate CAM use among visiting patients at a Swedish ED. METHOD: A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed between August and October 2016 at an ED in Sweden. The questionnaire included 16 items regarding CAM use, factors associated with CAM use and patient healthcare communication and was distributed to 1600 patients. RESULTS: A total of 1029 questionnaires was returned (RR 64.3%). Current CAM use was reported by 7.9%, during the last year by 38.0%, and within lifetime by 72.9%. Factors associated with CAM use were: being a woman, middle-aged, in full-time employment, with secondary education level, higher use of non-prescription drugs and lower use of prescription drugs. Patient healthcare personnel communication about CAM was found to be approximately 5%. CONCLUSION: CAM usage exists among patients visiting Swedish EDs and almost one in ten uses CAM on the same day as the ED visit. CAM usage is associated with demographic factors. However, communication about CAM usage with ED personnel is poor. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary information accompanies this paper at 10.1186/s12906-020-03126-9.