Use of Herbal Medicine in Internal Medicine Wards

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Herbs are physiologically active substances which can significantly affect the outcome of medical treatment, either by inhibiting or promoting drug disposition or through additive and synergistic effects when used in conjunction with conventional medications. Herb-drug interactions are potentially dangerous, and may be difficult to predict since regulation of the preparations is often lacking, and patients most often do not report the use of these products to their physicians. The risk for toxic effects and adverse interactions increases among high-risk groups, such as the elderly or patients with renal or hepatic disease. The purpose of this study is to study the prevalence of use of herbal medicine among patients hospitalized in the internal medicine department of an Israeli hospital, as well as examine the effect of herbal remedies on patient health, either beneficial or harmful. For this purpose, a questionnaire evaluating demographic data, medical history (both current and past), use of and attitudes towards herbal medicine will be administered to patients in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Israel. The Beck Depression Questionnaire will be used as well.

Official Title
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Use of Herbal Medicine Among Patients Hospitalized in a Department of Internal Medicine: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Conditions
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Herb-drug Interactions

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: questionnaire


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Patients of either gender Age 18 years and older Exclusion Criteria: Neurological deficit or other medical condition precluding responding to the questionnaires.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| A<br>patients hospitalized in the Department of Internal Medicine of the Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel. | Behavioral: questionnaire<br>* questionnaire of demographic and medical data, use of and attituded toward herbal medicine. Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II)- Hebrew Translation<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| * prevalence of use of herbal medicine among patients hospitalized in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel. |  | one year | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| *prevalence of herb-drug interactions affecting treatment *rates of reporting use of herbal remedies *prevalence of toxic effects of herbal remedies *attitudes toward herbal medicine |  | one year | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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internal medicine, herbal medicine, prevalence, attitudes, herb-drug interaction