• Eran Ben-Arye, Elad Schiff, Michael Silbermann, Abed Agbarya, and Gil Bar-Sela.
• Integrative Oncology Program, Oncology Service, Lin Medical Center, Clalit Health Services, Haifa and Western Galilee District, Israel; Complementary and Traditional Medicine Unit, Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. Electronic address: eranben@netvision.net.il.
• J Pain Symptom Manage. 2015 May 1;49(5):871-7.

ContextThere is a dearth of studies on how cultural background influences patients' attitudes and choices regarding complementary and traditional medicine (CTM) integration.ObjectivesTo explore Arab and Jewish patients' perspectives regarding CTM use and its possible integration within conventional cancer care.MethodsThis was a cross-cultural study. We developed a 27-item questionnaire that evaluates patients' perceptions regarding CTM integration in supportive cancer care. The questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of patients receiving cancer care in community and hospital oncology centers.ResultsOf the 770 respondents (response rate 88%), 324 defined their religion as Muslim, Christian, or Druze (henceforth, regarded as Arabs) and 446 were Jews. Respondents in the two groups differed significantly in terms of age, gender, marital status, number of children, education, religiosity, and prevalence of cancer types (excluding breast cancer). Although Arab respondents reported less use of CTM for cancer-related outcomes (39.6% vs. 52.1%; P = 0.001), they expressed greater support than Jewish respondents for optional CTM consultation if provided within conventional oncology care (P < 0.0001). Respondents in both groups stated that their primary expectation from the oncologist concerning CTM was to participate in formulating a CTM treatment plan to be provided within the oncology department. Compared with Arab respondents, Jews expected CTM consultations to focus on improving daily functioning and coping, reducing chemotherapy side effects, and providing spiritual support.ConclusionAlthough quality of life-related expectations are more pronounced among Jewish respondents, both groups share the expectation from their health care providers to be actively involved in construction of a tailored integrative CTM treatment plan.Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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